THE CENTRAL PARK. 






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A 



D E S C R I 1' ^IM O N 



C 



OF TIIK 



NEW Y O R K 



CENTEAL PARK. 



UocK^ Cli^re-mce. vlVi5iih-5^-v-vv 




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NEW YORK: 
F, J. HUNTINGTON AND CO., 

4 5 9 BROOMK STREET. 
J8t)9. 



Ill till' Clcik--. Olli 



ncr.prdiiiL.' to Ac't of ('iiiii:n-ss in tlu' yvuT Ist'iS. 
i;\ F. .1. lir.NTlN(;T()N and (.'O., 

)l' the Hisliict roiiil ol' thv United States. For ilie S.)iilli,Tn 
Di-tnet of Xeu Yorli, 






Alvokii. I'imntki; 



PUJ3LlSIlEirS ^OTE. 



If is hoped that this woi-k will ])lease the ])ul)lie to 
whom it lias heeii so loii^- promised. Tt was j)i-ojt'('t('d 
three years ago, hut its a])[)earaiR'e has l)eeii delayed l)y 
causes that will he understood hy every one who, in 
America, has undertak<'n to pi'ochu-e a costl\', ilhisti'ate(l 
volume. Yet, this delay is not \\ithout a comjx'nsatinL;" 
achantaLLV, t'oi- it has enal»l('(l the pul>lisliers to t'nniish 
an account of the Park in a state much neai'er eomple- 
tioii than it was when the Ijook was fii-st announced. 



vi PUBLISHERS' NOTE. 

Wliilc this l)()(>k has l)eeii desiiiiied, rather as a 
])h'asur<'-l)(»()k toi* tlie eye and the iiiiii<l, tliaii as a 
foriual Liiii(h' to the Park, it may sat'el)' be recoiii- 
iiieiided fui- tliat ])iirj)()se to tliose to whom its size is 
no ol>jeetion, l)y the tidness of its details, and the 
acfuraey of its faets. 

One of our most ])o]»uhii- ai'tists, Mr. A. F. Helh)\vs, 
lias s])('iit maii\ months in making the drawings which 
add so much to the value of the ^v'ork ; our l)est 
en<i'i'avei-s liaAe em})loyed their skill in cutting them 
on the \\<>o<l; and the 1(>\(M's of beautiful j>rinting will 
easily recognize in the ])ress-\\ork the hand of Alvord. 



AUTHOR'S PREFACE. 



TiiK writer of the toll()\\ing pa2;es cainiot tliiiik 
Ills work c-oin|)l('te \vitlioiit an ex])ivssioii of tliaiiks to 
those iji-eiitleiiien offieuilly connected ^vitll tlie Central 
Park, to \vlioin lie is so niucli in(h'l)te(l for tlie means 
of secnrinu' NX'liatescr accuracy niay l)e aHowed to he- 
h)nu' to liis |)(M-fonnanc(». 

Altliouu'h the (r(>vernin(Mit of tlie Park is not in 
any way res])onsil»l(' for any statennMit containe(l in 
tliese ])au'es otliei' tljan sucli as ai'(^ f>nn(hMl on its 



vi ii A U T 1 [( J R ' S P R !•; f a C E . 

Aiiiiii;il lvi']K)rts, yet every facility ]ias Ijeeii coi'dially 
i:-i\eii to tlic writer tu make ITuiiself acqiiaiiitcMl \vitli 
tlie t()j)()Lira])liy of tlie Park, and \vitli so miieli of its 
inaiiau'emeiit as it Avas desirable or ])ro])er to eoiuiiuiiii- 
cate. And it certainly is not ont of any desire to 
tlattei- tlie Commissioners that the helief is here ex- 
])resse(l, that the more closely the manajxement of tliis 
im])oi'tant nndertaking is stndi<Ml, the more it will 
a]»])ear that, disgraceful l)eyond all power of words ade- 
(jTiateh' to e.\])ress it as has Leen of late years the 
administration of the (rovernnient of the City of New 
Yoi-k, vet the Commissioners of the Central Park have 
o-iven our citizens all the ])roof that is needed that it 
is still ])ossil)le to ])(M'form great ]>nl)lic trusts with true 
economx', with unim])eachal>le honesty, and with a 
simple, constant eye to the ]>\d)lic good. 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 



View i.ookixg North \K\n Mr 

8ECM . . . FiaJNTiai'lECE 

Plan of tiik Park -. . . . Pnue l.'-)3 
The Lake .vear Fifth Avenue a.vd 

u'Vrii Stkket. 32 

The Arsexai . . 33 

BuiiifiE OVER THE Bi;iple Path, 

XEAR Arsexai. . 35 

The Mali,, tookixg ti>. . . . ... :i6 

The Foot path cy Wiei ows. .Sorrn- 

E.vsT of Mali.. . 3tS 

L)R1XKIXG FOIXTAIX -40, 

The Terrace from the Xmnii. .. 42| 

The Mcsic .<taxt» 45! 

Terrace, lookixo South.. 4 6' 

Stairs leadini; to the Lake--Tt;k- i 

RACE 47 

Portrait or .Iacou AVket Mould . nOi 
SroxE Screex I)i\ iniNG Plaza from 

Carrlvge Road .■.■2' 

Stairs i-rom Carriage PiOad to 

Lower Terrace o4 

Fouxtaix ox Lower Terrace .... 56 

Baxner with Arms or the St.\te 51 
Bo.i.T-IIousE Southwest End of 

Lake jS 

BOAT-HoURE XEAR Pa.mule. . . . . . . f)9 

Swax Rest ox Lake. . . 60 



Boat Rouse near Oak Bridok. Pa<rc 61 

Bow Bridge from Lake . . . <\2 

View of Lake looking Souiii. 03 

Bow Bridge from Beach 65 

Lake Virw (',6 

LaDIE.s' SKATIXO PONlt . . (>9 

CURLIXG 10 

Balcoxy Bridge 71 

Balcoxy Bridge from the Beach 72 

The Tigress 74 

Bust of Schiller 76 

Statue of CoMME«rE . . 7.s 

Bird-Cage S'2 

Drixkixg Fouxtaix S3 

The Casixo from thf Kast 83 

ViXERY NEAR CaSINO OVERLOOKING 

THE Mall S9 

SUMMER-ITOUSE XEAR HaMII.TOX 

Square 00 

Oaks near Arsexai 91 

Summer-House Southeast or the 

(.'asixo 92 

Westebx half of Terrace from 

THE Music Stand. . . 97 

•Skatixg West of Bow Brid(,e. ... 08 

The Dovecote 100 

Oaks xeau Sevexty xixth Street 

Extra.vce 102 



LIST OF I L Ll'STK AT J ONS 



Mowing Lawn neak Seventy-ninth 

Street Page 1 (•.'! 

Terrace from Kock in Ramble... 105 

Nook in Ramble 108 

Rustic Bridge in Ramble 109 

Fall in Ramble. 110 

Rustic Bridge Ill 

Rustic Summfr-House in Ramble. 112 

Nook in Ramble 114 

Entrance to Cave 115 

Cave from Lake IIG 

Interior OF Cave 117 

Arm of Lake fko.m Cave 118 

Rtsnc Stone Arch in R.amble ... 119 
Rustic Stone Arch in Rami-.le— 

Another View 12ii 

Lake from Top of Sione Arch. . 121 

The Belvedere 122 

Vu.w FROM Belvedere, looklxg 

South 124 

View from Belvedere, looking 

southe.\st 125 

Summer-LIoi ^e in Ramble, near the 

Belvedere. . . 126 

SrMMER-HousE .near Artist.s' Gate. 12s 

Ramble 129 

Interior of Marble .\Rcn i:^>n 

Bridge of Red and Yellow Brick 

near the Seventh Avenue... 138 

Si'RiNG NEAR Eighth Avenue i:!9 

BeeITive in Ramble 141 

Bird-House IN Ramble 142 

Lawn in Ramble, wiih Pea Fowl. 144 
Lawn in Ramble, avith Guinea 

Fowl 141 

Frederick Law Olmsted 148 

Calvert Vaux 149 

Pond near the Scholars' Gate.. 15S 
Museum and Restaurant from 

Harlem Meer ItiS 



Harlem Meei: Page 17 

Harlem Meer and Old Fortifica- 
tions, with Restaurant 171 

Block-House— War 1812 17 3 

View near Block-House, looking 

East i'74 

Rocky Bridge in Ravine 176 

Cascade above the Rocky Arch- 
way 177 

Cascade at Head of Loch 178 

Bridge over the Cascade 179 

Sakrina's Pool near the Ravine. ISO 
Ar(H over Foot-path near Ra- 
vine 182 

Bridge for Carriage Road over 

Ha vine 183 

Rustic Bridge and Cascade in 

Ravine 185 

Thk Pool 186 

On the Pool, looking Northwest. 187 

Old House by Reservoir 188 

Sleighing by the 'Willows 189 

Balcony Bridge, West Side 190 

Rustic Bridge, near Balcony 

Bridge, looking West 191 

Rustic Bridge, near Balcony 

Bridge, looking East 192 

Oak Bridge 193 

Oak Bridge, Second View 194 

The Shepherd 195 

PlAT-G BOUND 196 

View near Boys' Gate, looking 

West 198 

View near the Pond, Fifty-ninth 

Street 203 

Children's Shelter, Southwest of 
Mall, from Lower Lake, look- 
ing East 205 

The Oval Bridge near .Seventh 

A venue 206 



PLAX OF 



THE CENTRAL PARK 



PLAN F T 11 E PARK. 




THE sorxn end. 



T 11 !■; N (J K T II END 



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PLAN OF TOE PAIIK 



NoTK. — The top of the plan on the preceding left-hand page 
connects with the foot of the riglit hand page. 



THE NEW YORK CENTRAL PARK. 



A GLANCE AT ITS HISTORY 

Thiuty or forty years ao-o, Xcnv York City must have liad an 
almost rural aspect. Tliis is especially true of what Avas then the 
upper l)art, — the regiou which lies betweeu Canal Street ami Prhico 
Street ; — hut it will also ap])ly to the extreme southern ])ortion, the 
neio-hborliood of the InitttTy and l.owling-Green. For, even so late 
as 1840, the Inittery was still a pleasant place, with grass and trees, 
and surrounded hy a semicircle of handsome private lioiises, no longer 
li\ed ill liv fis]ii()naV)le people, jx'rhaps, hut rather by good, substan- 
tial iblk \\]\o had residecl in that neighborhood Avlieu it was in the 
hifhest fishion, and were loatli to (piit what was still a highly res})ect- 
al)le (piarter. No shops nor business houses had as yet intruded 
tlieir unwelcome presence, Imt it was not long after the date we have 
mentioiu'd, that the first symptoms of change began to appear in the 
transformation of one or two of the larger dwellings into l)oarding- 
houses of the better sort; and tlu; ni'ighborhood soon lost (Mitirely 
its domestic cliaracter, and was abandoned to hotels, warehouses, 
and oifices. Of course, in this changi', the Jiattery and the J>owling- 
Green suffered equally with the iiouses. People gradually deserted 
them. The Battery, especially, wliidi liad oikh' been tfie ])rincipal 
lounging place and pi-omenade of fishionable New ^ ork, was 
abandoned for Broad wa v. 

In the earlier pcrioil, l>etbie these changes began to take ])lace, 
the inhabitants of the city did not want for ])laces o[' j-ecreation. 
The city proper covered but a small i)ortion of the island, the line 



IQ HISTORY OF THE 

of tlu' jircsciit Cinial Strt'ct marking llio iiortlu'ni boundary, ami 
beyoiul this were larue iarins stretching up toward llarlem. To 
tliosc Avho lived in the city itself, and wlio were not able to in(bdge 
in the iuxurv of a horse and chaise, the IJatterv and tlie JJowling- 
(Treen Avere sutiiciently ])leasant suumier resorts, surrounded as tliey 
■were by the resideiu-es of the gentry ; but a walk in tlie fields was 
always easy to get; even IV'arl Street and >[aid(.'n Lane were cheerful 
strolling-places ; the boys skated on the canal, or swam in it, or 
made expeditions for nuts and apples to the large outlying farms. 

Later, as the city grew, and the ()[)en country al)Ove the canal 
Avas in\aded by houses and traversed by rudimentary streets, while, 
at the opposite end, the ]>attery an<l ])Owling-(Treen began to 
yield a little to the demand of business men for room, there s[)rang 
up lu'i'e and there pul)lic gardens, quiet places for refresliment and 
recreation; while open S(piares, such as the City Hall Park and St. 
JoluTs l*ark, were laid out and planted with grass, and shrubbery, 
and trees — the one for i)ublic use, the other for a ])ri\ate playground 
and promenade. Ihit even so late as 1S25 the city was so s])arsely 
built aiul town-gardens Avero so numerous — many of the houses behig 
of wood, and standing detache<l, surrouiuled Avith shrubbery and. 
trees — that parks or S(]uares must have seemed unnecessary, for 
pleasant walks and sti'olls could be had in almost any quarter, aiul. 
the U])])er ])ai-t of the island abounded in delightful drix'es. There 
Avere also public gardens in plenty, both in the city itself and in 
the surrounding country, and the people were of that social, Tncly 
turn that they loved to frc(pu'nt such places. Later, more foi-mal 
gardens sprang up in the city, not, properly speaking, gardens at all, 
but mere open-air inclosures Avhere people went to I'at cakes and 
ices, the boys and girls to meet one another, and the elders to talk 
gossip and politics, and to discuss the scandal of the hour. Stu-h 
gardens were '' \'au.\hall," in the BoAvery, near Eighth Street ; the 
" J>owei-y," so called irom its beautiful over-arching ti-ees, the jirettiest 
]>art of the lower island; and "Contoits," a name that still thrills 
matronly t)osoms, with a sigh for its remembered delights. " Xiblo's" 
came later; we, ourselves, renu'mber Avheii it Avas really a garden, and 
occupied nearly the whole block of A\hich it is now but an insi<>-nifi- 
cant fragment. lu the neighborhood of Twenty-first Street and 



X E W Y R K C K X T H A L P A UK. U 

r>ro;ul\v;iv tlicrc V\\rt\ at this lime a good inniiy Knglisli jx'dplc, 
nearly all of them well-to-flo mereliauts, having large gardens about 
their houses. These gent lenieu were fond of Howers, ami the t ulip was 
a lml)l>v with nianv of them. Everv spring the splendor of these 
tuli[)-l)eds in full hloom would draw great numht'rs of people fi-oin tlie 
eitv to set' tht'in. In oi'der to ])roteet the tlowei's from the s>nt, they 
were shiel(h'<l l)y largi' liulit awnings of cotton ; and it must have 
l)een a pri^'tty sight — the gay l)eds of hrilliaut, man v-eolored llowers, 
and the cheerful, chat ting people walking ahout, discussing the merits 
of the several gardens under the bright spring sky. 

The change that deiu'ived New York of this rural character came not 
l)y slow and easily traced (h'grees, l)ut suddenly. There ai'e hundreds 
of people li\ ing who remember when the tide turned, and the city grew 
from a small town, almost in a night, like JonalTs gourd, to be the great 
metroi)olis it is to-(L-iv. The chan^■e came too suddenly for the city's 
good. It was not gi'owth, it was iwolution, and provision liad to be 
made so speedilv for the ])opulation that began to pour in al)out 1S30, 
and which has contiinu'd to ])our in steadily and with liardlv any 
intermission from that (hiy to this, that many things had t(» be (h)ue 
carelessly, many irreti'ievable blunders were committed, and oppor- 
tunities hist that will lu-xcr pri'sent themselves again. It was not 
long before ))eople began to feel the change from the sparsely built 
city, with its open lots, its water-courses and gardens, to the nar- 
rowing streets, the long blocks of closely packed houses, and the 
small hatdv-yards, Avhere, at the 1)est, a grape-vine and a pocket- 
handkerchief of grass could make out to grow. Old New Yorkers 
felt stitled, and young New York felt the need of play-groinid, and 
of some substitute for the free life of the old days and of the at-tive 
out-door emplovnu'Uts it had so latelv been able to enjoy. 

After all, the city was not so badly (ttfas miij,ht have l)een fear(>d. 
Tlieiv was lloboken foi- a delightfid walk or for active games, ball- 
])laying, boating, bowling, and (pioits. Stateu Island, too, Mhich, 
thirty years ago, was neai-ly covi'ixmI with hue Avoods, and which is 
still one of the richest fields ibr the botanist that can l)e ibund within 
any reasonable distance of New York, was becoming a favorite resort tor 
])ic-nic ])arties and for boys on Saturday atlernoons. Then there was 
the Uloomingdale Koad, the delight of eipiesti'ians, for as yet it Inid 



12 HISTORY OF TIIK 

not passed exclusively into the hands of rowdies and the horse-racing 
gentry ; while now that large and handsome steamboats Avere making 
the journey to Albany both swift and sure, tlie beauties of the Hud- 
son liiver were gradually discovered, and the iidiabitants of the 
already crowded city li'urned what a treasure of romantic scenery lay 
"witliiu easy reach. 

TIu' growth of tlu' city was ahnost without precedent for sudden- 
ness, and tlie deuuuid for building-ground became so great that it 
was Avilh ditKculty even the public s<piares, reserved for air and 
recreation, could be ])r('serve(T iu\iolate. J)Ut building was the rage, 
and l)eside, it was tlie necessity of the time, and every new building 
meant so much less air, so much less light, so much less room for jilay, 
for rest, for ceremonial display. The Battery remained for some time 
longer a cheerful si)Ot, green with gi-ass and trees, and with a pros- 
pect such as c-ould not easily be surpassed anywhere for varietv and 
beauty. But no one now went to it ibr ])leasure. Occasionally a 
military review would take place theiv, or the city ofHcials would 
receive there souu' distinguislied foreign visitor, but the more 
respectable citizens and the fashionable would either foi-ego the cere- 
mony and displav altogether, or Avait until the procession Avhich 
usnally terminated such affairs found its Avay into then- cleaner and 
more elegant nei^■hl)orhood.■■" The ])ark, too, Avas grailually scrim})ed 
of its fair proportions, its lower end taken u[) bv a lountain basin, out 
of all pro[)ortion to the space it occupies, and the upper |)art crowded 
Avith ])ublic offices, Avhile the i)lacards ordering peoi)le to keep off the 
grass became a standing joke, for, little l)y little, the grass had dis- 
ai)})eared, the jiosts that supported tlie guarding-chains had rotted 
and been stoU'ii, and the trees that had once adorned it seemed to 

■•' Yft, wiiat a trulj- noljlo entrance to New Yurk City, tlic Battery mii^lit stiil be 
made ! In proper liands, Castle Garden nii^lit be transformed, and that at no 
extraA'agant e.\i)ensc, into a stately water-gate with an amjile wliarfof stone to which 
a steamer or a man-of-war could bring whatever honorable company might be the city's 
guest, and after due ceremonial reception withiu the inclosure, the procession of 
soldiery, olHcials, and citizens, would have free room to form on tlie broad esplanade of 
the Battery itself, no longer the sijualid sleeping-place of beggars, and louiifring-place of 
drones that it is now ; but bright with flowers, and over-arched witli trees, well paved, 
well fenced; as bright and sunny a spot, and witli as noble an outlook as could be found 
in the world. New York owes it to herself to have such an entrance ; at present the 
only access to lur is through uuutteralily tiltliy ways. 



N J<: A\' Y O R K (! 1<: X T 11 A L PARK. 



18 



lia\o 111) desire to outlive tlie ilecay of'a spot wliicli had once lieeii the 
city's ]iri(h'. 

Ikctreat iVom tlieeity lor thost' wlio hui^ed ioi- a Tew hoiii's' i-est, lor 
a hri'atli of tlie open air, oi- for a siL^ht of tli;^' sky, was cut oil" on nearlv 
e\('i'y side. Staten Tshind and C'onev Tshind wci'e too fai' awav; 
llohokeu was no hnejei- pheasant nor reputahh'; it liad ceased to he 
a phace of resort lor tliose who souij^-lit a quiet stroll, with an ic(; or 
cotl'ee nnder the trees of the Klysian Fields, and it had not yet 
attainetl to the dig'nity of a snlmrh. For several years the people 
of New York liad seemed to l)e urowiny into a settleii sul)inission 
to this state of tlung-s — one, we may almost say, without ]n-ecedent, 
for there is liardly another ^reat city in the woi'ld that does not con- 
tain, either within its own boundaries or in its sulnirhs, the means of 
gratifyiuL;- the desire of its inhabitants for an occasional esca])e from 
the confinement of city Avails, and the huiM-v and bustle of the citv 
streets. To tell the truth, New York, admirably placeil as it is lor 
commercial ])urposes, is far from being- a convenient j)la(H' to li\e in; 
to use an Irish bull, its centix' is not in the mid<lle, but at one en<l, 
and the time consumed in getting from home to Inisiness or pleasure 
is a great drawbat'k to the enjoyment of the tnany material comforts 
"which the city oft'ers Jier citizens. 

IJut the shape of a city, bke the shape of a man's head, althoui;'h 
it may stand greatly in the way of its improvement, and be much to 
be regretted, is a thing not to be altered, and the only matter to be 
considered is, low to nnd-ce the best of it. And about the year 1848 
tin' people of New Yoi'k l)egaii to find that something nuist be done 
to su})[)ly the want, getting to be felt every day more and more, of 
sj)ace to walk al)road and i-ecreate themselves. There was no place 
■within the city limits in which it was pleasant to walk, or ride, or 
drive, oi- stroll ; no place for skating, tio water in which it was safe to 
row; no field for base-ball or cri(d-:et ; no ])lcasant garden wltcre one 
could sit and chat with a friend, or watch his children ]ilav, or, over 
a cup of tea or colFee, listen to the music of a good band. Tiieatres, 
concerts, and lectures were tlie only amusements within i-eacli of the 
mass of the people ; the side-walks, tlie balconies, the ba(d<-vards, the 
only substitutes for the ITyde l*ark or Tuileries of the Old World, or 
the ancient freedom and rural beauty of Young New York. 



14 ]I r STO R Y OF T II K 

Tlic ](ul)lic was (liscoiitc'iitcMl, Imt it liad no moans of giviiiL;" cx- 
])i\'ssi()U Id its iroliiiii'. Tlu' rich ]ic'o])l(_', wlicii tlicy could not endure 
their eiund any longer, took sliij), and went and walked in the Tuil- 
eries, or drove Avith the other nabobs in Hyde Park, or drank coflTee 
under the lindens ot" IJerlin, and eame home when thev i'elt like it. Or, 
if thev did not share the common taste of .Vmeriean I'ich ])eople for 
expat i-ialion, they lei't the city and Avent "up the river,'" where thev 
l)uilt ugly houses, costing fabulous sums, and tormented mother Earth 
with landscape gardening, tasteless enough to keep the houses in coun- 
tenance, or threw their money away in gentlemanly farming. As for 
the people with small incomes, and the salaried class, tlu'V had to 
jnake up their minds, since the mountains would not come to them, to 
go once a yt-ar, for a week or two, to the mountains. It was then 
that the ti-aditions of Saratoga and Newport were formed, and the 
city was nearly deserted in the suinnier by large nund)ers of the in- 
liabitants. No ])erson, who asjiired to any rank in the i'ashionable 
world, was ever known to be in tlu; citv in Julv or .Vugust, and "not 
at home," if it did not mean " in Kuro[)e," meant " at a fashional)le 
watei'ing-jilace." Xow, too, the suburban ivgion about Xew York 
began to be invaded by a large class that found city-life ex]»ensive 
out of all ])roportiou to its health, comfort, and opportunities for en- 
joyment, as well as by those, chietlv industi'ious nu'chanics, who 
ibund it impossible to lay up monev while ol)liged to pav such rents 
as were coming to be deinanded, or, indeed, to Ww with decencv in 
the only liouses that were to be obtained for rents that, in Europe, are 
asked for comfortable, nay, luxurious, rooms. The discomfort was 
Avidely felt, and it Avas to l)e expected that somebody Avonld discover 
that he had a mission to ])ut an cud to it, or to spur other people to 
do so. And in 1S4S, ]Mr. A. J. Downing, in an article called "^V 
Talk about Public I'arks and (lardens,'' ])ublished in the JI<ii'f!ciiJfi(r- 
'/.N'/, a journal which he edited at the time, gave the fii'st exi)ression to 
the want, Avhich everybody at that time felt, of a great Public Park. 

In a characteristic Avay, the Amei-icans of the North had ali'eadv 
attem])ted to ])rovide ]>laces for ])ublic exercise, not to sav amuse- 
ment, by the establishment of great cemetei'ies in the vicinities of 
the larger cities. In 18;!I,]\rt. Aul)ui-n, near r>oston,Avas consecrated 
and the example set in the laying-out and in the adornment of that 



N K W YORK < ' K N T H A F. P A Tl K . 1 5 

bciiutiful |)1:UH' was soon i'ollowed by the peopU' of Pliila<l('l})]ii:i at. 
" Jjauivl llill,'' ami lalci- by Xcw York at " (irccnwood/'' These 
cemi'teries soon became liuiiotis over tlie wliole couiil I'v, and thou- 
sands of people visited them annually. They were amonu; the child" 
attractions of the cities to which tlu'V beloiiii'ed. No stranger visited 
either of tliese cities for pleasnre or observation who was not taken 
to the cemeteries, nor was it long before the smaller cities, and e\eii 
towns and villages began to' set aside land and to lay it out for the 
douiile ]>nrpost' of burving-gronnd and ]»leasure-ground. In 1S4S, 
Avlieii Mv. Downing wrote the " Talk about Public Parks and (har- 
dens " which we ha\'e mentioned, these cemeteries were all the rage, 
and so deeply was the want felt which they supplied, and so truly 
beautiful were they in themselves, that it is not to be Avondered at if 
people were slow to ]>erceive that there was a certain incongiaiity be- 
tween a graveyard and a ](lace of recreation. The truth is, people 
wei-e glad to get fresh air, and a siglit of grass, and trees, and 
flowers, with, now and then, a j)retty ]»iece of sculpture, to say 
nothing of the drive to all this beauty, and back again, without con- 
sidi'ring too deejily whether it might not be better to have it all 
witliont the gra\es, and the funeral processions. Of course, at first, 
the sadder purpose of tliese places was not so conspicuous as it soon 
became. For sevi-ral years after they were first laid out they weri' in 
reality })arks and pleasure-grounds, with, here and there, a monument 
or tombstone half seen among tlie trees. But this could not last for 
long. The dead increase as the living (b> — 

" Every minute dies a man, 
Every minute one is born," 

and soon the small white tents gri'W Unrk along the paths and lanes, 
and the statelier houses of the I'ich and iiotable dead rose shining in 
the more conspicuons ])laccs, and the dark line of hearse and carriages 
was met at every tnrn, so that it was not easy even for the lightest 
hearted or the most indiflerent to get much cheer out of a landscape 
set so thick with sad suggestions. And then the tide turned, and 
fashion and pleasure looki'd about for a garden where death was not 
so frequent a visitor. 

Tn July, 1S40, ^Ir. Downing published in the '• Horticulturist '' an 
essay on "Public Cemeteries and Pul)lic Ciardeiis," which is maiidy 



IQ HISTORY OF T II K 

:iii c'lilai-iii'iiK'iit t)f :i panignipli iii tlic ''Talk about Public Parks uud 
(4ai-(k'iis," and tlic ol^ject of wliicli was to coiiviucc tlie public that a 
lai-Lic public })ai-k in the vicinity of any one of the great .Ulautic 
cities would not oidy be a great luxury, but a great material benefit 
to the inhabitants, and that it would pay its own expenses beside. 
''That sucli a projei-t, carefully planned and liberally and judiciously 
carriecl out would not oidy ])at/ in money, but largely civilize and 
i-etine the national character, foster the love of rural beauty, and in- 
crease the knowledge of, and taste for, rare and beautiful trees and 
iilants, wo cannot entertain a reasonable doubt. It is only necessary 
tor one of the thi'ee cities which hrst opened cemeteries to set the 
example, and, the thing once fairly seen, it l)ecomes uuivei-sal. The 
true policy of republics is to foster the taste for great puldic lil)raries, 
parks, and gardens, which all may enjoy, since our institutions wisely 
forliid the growth of private fortunes sufficient to achieve these de- 
sirable results in any other way." 

In 1850 ^Ir. Downing took a summer trip to England, leaving home 
in June and returning in October. He Avent, not merely for i)leasure, 
but to see what had been done and what was then being done in the 
old world in architecture and landscape-gardening, that he might 
gather hints and suggestions for improvement in those arts among 
Ids countrymen at home. Naturally enough, he was more taken with 
the English exploits in landscai)e-gardening — with the Chatsworths 
and Woburn Abbeys — tluin with the modern architecture. But, 
^^-reatlv as he admired. the si)lendid country-seats of the hereditary 
nobility of England, he perceived that the great wealth it required to 
support these enormous establishments raised these houses and 
orounds so far above ours that they are not directly or practically 
instructive to Americans. More interesting to him were the great 
])ublic parks. In September, 1850, he wrote to the "Horticulturist" 
a letter from England on the Lon(h)n parks, in which, after a chai-m- 
inglv vivid description of those remarkable places, he coiu-ludes as 
follows : " We fancy, not without reason, in New York, that we have 
a ureat city, and that the inti-oduction of Croton water is so mar\el- 
lous a luxury in the way of health, that nothing more need be done 
tor the comfort of half a million of people. In crossing the Atlantic, 
a voung New Yorker who was ral)idlv patriotic, and who boasted 



\ E W" Y () \l Iv (' I-: X T II A L r A R K . J 7 

daily <»f tlic superiority of our beloNcil couiuicrciul metropolis over 
every city on the g'lol)e, was our most ;unusiii<^ eonipaiiiou. I chanced 
to meet him oiu' afternoon, a lew da_\'s after we landed, in oiu' of the 
U'reat parks in T.oiidoiK in the midst of all tlie sylvan l)eauty and 
human enjoyment I haxc attempt(.'(l to describe to vou. II(^ threw 
up his arms as he recoy'nizeil me, and exclaimed : 'Good heaxxuis ! 
what a sceiu' I and I ttiok some Londoners to the ste])S of the Citv 
Hall last sunnner, to show them tlu' l*ark of New York!' I consoled 
him with the advice to In- less c-onc-eited thereafter in his cockneyism, 
and to show foreigners the Hudson and Niagara, instead of the Citv 
Hall and liowling-Green. But the question may well he asked, ' Ts 
Xew York really not rich enough, or is there absolutelv not land 
enotigh in America, to give our citizens public parks of more than ten 
acres?'" 

IJy this time, indeed, the question "was getting quite generallv 
aske(h In all societies there was a demand for a place within the 
city limits, where ])eople could walk, and drive, and ride, au<l skate, 
and I'ow ; where base-ball and ci'icket couhl be ])laved, and all classes 
of the communitv find rest and recreation. We can imagine Down- 
ing's young (H>ckney returning to Xew York, and telling his little 
circle at home of the astonishment and mortification he had felt on 
comparing the generous pi-ovision which the government of a 
monarchy had made tor the enjoyment of its sul)jects, with the 
wretclied wav in which tlu' free citizens of a great I'epublic had 
stinted themselves. Every intelligent Xew Yorker that went abroad 
must have made the same comparison, and must have given e.\[)ression 
to tlie same astonishment and mortification. And now that this wide- 
si)read public feeling hail found a voice in ]Mr. Downing, there needed 
nothing but that some ])erson in authority, mayor, governor, or legis- 
lator, should recommend that the ])ublic need be ])rovided for, to 
secure that something elfcctual should be done. And at-cordinii'ly, 
in ]i-;.j1, Mr. A. C Kingsland, who was then flavor of Xew York, 
sent a Message to the Common Council, in which the whole (piestion 
was stated so clearlv and succinctly, and the necessitv for prompt 
and efficient action Avas so forcibly nrged, that there is no wonder it 
took hold of the jiublic attention, and became the leading topic of dis- 
cussion in social cii'clo and m the newspapers. As this MessacTf is 



18 11 r STORY OF T II K 

(tf importance in tlie history of the Central Park, and as it is buried 
in the not often e.\;))k)red storehouse of official documents of the city 
H()\('rnment, the ivaik'r will perha[»s not think it out of place in a 
foot-note.* 

The Message of ]\[ayor Kingsland was sent to the Common Council 
on. the iifth dav of April, 185 1, and was at once referred to the Com- 

* To ilie Honordhle tlic Common Council: — 

(iENTLEMEN — Tliu lapicl iiugmeiitation of our population, and the great increase 
in the value of ])roperty iu the lower part of the cit.y, justify me in ealliuu,- the atten- 
tion of your honorable body to the necessity of niakinj^ some suitable i)rovisiou for the 
wants of our citizeub. who arj thronging into the tipper wards which, but a few 
years since, were considered as entirely out of the city. It seems obvious to mc that 
the entire tongue of land south of the line drawn across the Park is destined to be 
devoted, entirely and solely, to commercial purposes ; and the Park and Battery, which 
were formerly favorite places of resort for pleasure and recreation for citizens whose 
j'csidcnees were below that lino, are now deserted. The tide of population is rai)idly 
flowing to the northern section of the island, and it is hci'e that jirovisioii should be 
made for the thousands Mdiose dwellings will, ere long, fill up the vacant streets and 
avenues north of Union Park. 

The ])ublic places of New Turk are not in keei)ing vi ith the charactei- of mir city; 

nor do llicy in any wise subserve the purpose for which such places should be set apart. 

I^arh year will witness a certain increase in the value of real estate, out of the city 

, pr(jpcr, and I do not know that any period will be more suirable than the present one 

for the purchase and laying out of a pai-lc on a scale which will be worthy of the city. 

There are places on the island easily accessilile, and possessing all the advantages 
of wood, lawn, and water, which might, at a comjiaratively small expense, be con- 
verted into a jiark which would be at once the ])ride and ornament of the city. 
Such a park, well laid out, would become the favorite resort of all classes. There are 
thousands who ])ass the day of rest among the idle and di-solute, iu porter-houses or 
in i)laces more objectionable, who would rejoice in being enaljlcd to breatlic the jnire 
an- insucli a place, Avlule the ride and drive through its avenues, free from the noise, 
dust, and confusion inseparal)le from all thoroughfares, would hold out strong induce- 
ments for the atlluent to make it a place of resort. 

There is no park on the island deserving the name, and while I cannot believe that 
any one can be found to advance an objection against the expediency of having such a 
one in our midst, I think that the expenditure of a sum necessary to procure and lay 
out a park of suflicicnt magnitude to answer the purposes al)ove mentioned would he 
well and wisely appropriated, and would be returned to us fourfold in the health, hapiii- 
ness, and comfort of those whose interests are specially intrusted to our keeping— the 
jioorcr classes. 

T,ie cstalilishment of such a i>ark would prove a lasting monument to the wisdom, 
sagacity, and 1on'th(iui;-ht of its founders, and would sccuri.' tiie gratitude of thousands 
yet unborn for the blessings of pure air, and the opportunity for innocent, healthful 
enjoyment. 

I commend this subject to your consideration, in the (■onvi<-tion that its im- 
portance will insure your careful attention and prompt action. 

A. C. KiNGSi.AM>, ^Mavor. 



N E \V Y O R K (' !•: N T 11 A I- P A 11 K. 19 

mittee on J^aiitls uinl I'hiccs. This coimiiitfcc soon uftt'i- ret iinicil a 
report favorable to the ^L.-ivor's views, ami recoiiiiiieiidiii'j; that ajipli- 
catioii shoulil he iiiaiU' to the LeL^'islature to appropriate that ]iortion 
ot New ^'l^rk Islaiul known as J.nies's Wood to the uses of a. pulilic 
park, this seeming to the eoiiiiiiittee Let ter atlapted t'oi- t he pui-pose 
than any other situation. 

.lont's's Wood is a. ti'aet of undnlatinix ij:ronnd l^'ini,^ alon^;" the 
shore of the East lvi\er, and was at that tiuu' tor the most ])art un- 
occupied by buildings, thouuh here andtliere were still standini;- a 
few of those old-tashione(l "mansions,"' as they wei'e somewliat 
ii-ran(lilo(]Uentlv called, wdiieli, in I'ornier times, had bet-n the country- 
seats of wealthy Xew York merchants retired imm business, but 
nu)st of wdiicli liave of late years l)een abandoned ami are fast .^'oing 
to decav. The laiul whicli it was ])roposed to take Ibr a, ))ark ex- 
tended from tlie East lJi\er to the Third A^•emle, and from Sixty- 
sixth Street, on the south, to Seventy-fifth Street, on the north, and 
contained abt)ut one hundi'ed and litty aeres. The advantau'es it 
offered for the ]iurposes of a ]iark were, the ii-reLi'ularity of its surface, 
its nearness to the East Ivivt't-, always an aniinatecl scene, Avith its 
steamboats, shipping", the islands, and the neighboring- shore; and 
tliere was, Ijeside, wliat, by most people, was thought woidd i)rove a 
great gain in time and expense, a thick growth of trees over nearly 
tlie whole region. 

The Legislature, at an extra session, held in 1 s.") 1, following the 
recommendation ot" the Common Council, ])asse<l an .\.ct, known as 
tlie Jones's Wood Park Bill, dated tlie 11th of July, authorizing the 
city, after certain i)rescril)ed estimates, examinations, and formalities 
liad been gone through Avith, to tak(> possession of the tract in ([Ues- 
tiou. liut liardly liad this .\ct been ])ublished than there arose sucli 
a strenuous opposition to the proposed site, that the IJoard of Alder- 
men ai)poiiited (August -"ith, 1S51) a, special committee to look into 
the matter and re[)ort upon the ad\aiitages and disadvantages of the 
ground designated in the Act of the Legislature, and also to examine 
wlietlier tliere were not some locality within the city limits ln'tter 
suited to the purpose of a publie ]iark. Thi< eommittee, consisting 
of Messrs. Daniel Dod'^-e and Jo>eph i>i-it ton, made a very full repoi't, 
strouulv recotnmeudiii'j,- a tract, in the centre of the island foi- the 



0(j HISTORY OF THE 

site of tlie Park in prcl'freiK-e to Jones's AVood, on eonsiderations of 
its o;reater extent ami convenience of access, its g-eneral availability, 
and its })roi)Oi'tionally far less cost. Among the influences that 
worked to secure the ])resent site to the city, this aV)lc report Avas 
doubtless (ine of the strongest. It [)Ut the whole case clearly before 
the public, stating the argument at length, yet Avithout waste words, 
and ga\e v<iict' tn a wide-spread popular preference for a more central 
localitv, which had thus foi- found no expression except through the 
newspapers. It.s i-ecommendations were adopted by the l^oard of 
^Vldermen, and on the I'cport being referred to the Legislature, that 
bodv ])assed an Act on tlie I'lst of July, 18.53,* authorizing the city to 
take possession ot'the ground noAV known as the Central Park. 

The Act of 1851, called the Jones's Wood Park I)ill, had never 
LTone into t'tlect, liecause the Sui^reme Court, on account of alleged 
material erroi's in the l>ill, had I'cfused to app«iint commissionei'S ; but 
the owners of that propertv, not willinu' to lose tlie (.)])portunitv of 
selling their land to so good a customer as the city, again bestirred 
themselves in the mattei-, and to such good pur})Ose, that they actually 
persua<led the Legislature to stultify itself by passing, on the same 
d.ay, July 'J 1st, 1853, two separate Acts, one, mentioned above, au- 
thorizing the taking of land in the centre of the island for the Central 
Park, the other giving authority to the city to take possession of 
Jones's AVood. But the opinion of the]»nblic was too ]ilainly inlavor 
of the central site, and the next year, April 11th, 1854, the Act rela- 
ti\-e to Jones's AVood was repealed, and no further attempt was made 
to re\ i\e it. 

On the 17th of Xovembei", 1853, the Supi-eme Court, by Judge 
AA'illiam Alitchell, appointed five commissioners of estimate and as- 
sessment to take the land for the Central Park. These commissioners 
Avere AVilliant Kent, Michael Ulshoefter, Luther Bradish, AA^arren 
Bra<ly, ami Jeremiah Towle, all gentlemen Avell known to the con\- 
munity, and in Avhom a Avide confidence Avas felt that their difficult 
task Avould l)e jierformed Avith fairness and judgment. Xor did this 
confidence prove to have been ill-grounded. The commissi<uiers em- 
ployed nearly three years in the work of estimating and assessing, 
sending in their report on the 4th of October, 1856, and, as Judge 

* Misprintid •■.Inly" 20,1" in First Animal Rejinrt, .Tan. 1. Is6r, pp. 6 and 7. 



XEW YORK CENTRA L PA RK. 21 

Harris remarked in coulinninu- their report, it is an evidence of the 
success witli wliicli tlieii- ditlicult taslv liad l)eeii jierforined, tliat but 
al)out one in forty of the owners ot' llie lots taken lor the I'ark ap- 
l)eared befoiv him to olijcct to the award of the commissioners. Mi-. 
Fernando Wood, who, as the city has reason to rememl)er, was at 
th;it time flavor, took oc-casioii, in a messau'e to the Common Council, 
refei'riu'j,' to another matter, to allude to the lenu'th of tinu' the com- 
missioiu'i's were consumiuL;- in their Imsiness. '" I'he whole scope of 
their <luties aj)pe;irs to me," sa\s this model citizen and magistrate, 
" to l)e \erv simple, and easil\' accomjilished. I do not see wdiy they 
should consume so much lime." IJut when it is eonsiderecl that the 
commissioners liad to hear and decide upon the claims of the owners 
of seven thousand fi\'e hundred lots; and that in many of these cases 
there \\ere invohcd the interests of nunors and orphans, and of per- 
sons who might l)e seriously crippled in their resources by an adverse 
decision (and Judge Harris, in contirming their report, a<bnits tliat, 
although the action of tlie commissioners was ]ire-eminently judicious 
and ecpiitable, yet there were cases of individual hardship) ; when we 
consider, too, that, as to most of the lots, it was rather their pro- 
spect i\e than their present \alue that ha<l to l)e estimated, a con- 
sideration that greatly increased the difficulty of passing judgment, 
and made the award liable to nuu-h bitterness of suspicion ; and, be- 
side this, if we remember that it was not oidy the giving of money that 
they had to attend to, bnt the takinn' it away, for they had not only 
to ajipraise the \alue of the lots absorbed into the Park, bnt to tax 
those that lay about it as well, in view of the advantage they were to 
<jain by their nearness to it; when all these thinu's are looked at, the 
time consumed in untauLi'ling all these snarled and knotted skeins ap- 
pears by no means unreasonably long. At all events, the Supreme 
Court confirmed this i-ejiort of the commissioners without hesitation, 
after a <'areful examination had con\inced it that substantial justice 
had been done, ;ind on the oth of l'\'bruarv, 1S5(J, the Comptroller 
announced to tlie Common Council that, as bv the .Vet of is.");; the 
payment of the awards to the owiu'rs of the lots, and of the expenses 
of tlie commissionei-s must be made immefliatelv on the coiiliniiat ion 
of their re])ort, it had become theii- dutv to make an ajtpropriat ion to 
meet those charti'es. AccordiuL"! v. an ordinance was ))asse(l for the 



22 H I S T R Y F T 11 E 

payment of live inillioii, one liiuulivd and sixty-nine thousand, tliree 
liundied and sixty-nine dollars and ninety cents, of which sum one 
million, six hundred and iifty-sevea thousand, five luindred and ninety 
dollars were to l)e paid hy the owners of lands adjacent to the Park, 
in \iew of the henefit they would receive from their neii^'hhorhood 
to it. 

Thus the Central Park hecame the possession of the city, the great- 
est blessinu' that had been bestowed upon it since the l)uilding of the 
great aqueduct. Not quite five years had ela})sed since it was first 
proposed by Mayor Kingsland, and it seems to us that, when the diffi- 
culty of adjusting- so many ])rivate claims and confiicting interests as 
are- involved in the ])urchase of over seven thousand lots on the very 
border of a large and rapidly growing town is considered, it cannot 
be deiued that, in the steady jiersistence ^\ ith Avhich it was pursued, 
the enter[)rise was an exception to the common fate of such under- 
takings. There was an unusual uininimity in the public nun<l tVom 
the first as to the nee<l of a large public ])ark, and even the dispute as 
to location did not delay matters long. Xo doul)t, it woidd have 
l)een much nnu'e <litficult to secure so large a tract ot" land if it had 
been thicklv strewn with buildinu's ; the n-ason whv the Jones's 
Wood party pushed their cause so persistently was, that the pri\ate 
interests at stake were so iinicli greater than in the case of the mi- 
occupied lots of the Centi'al Park, and the owners of houses and lots 
along the East River were much more eager to have the public ])ur- 
chase their property than were those who owned uncleared and unim- 
])roved land in the middle of the island. The public, however, was 
quite as shrewd as they, and, in spite of all tlieir blandishnients, chose 
the better situation. This danger was easily escaped, but, at the very 
last, while the commissioners appointed by the Su])reme Court were 
yet engaged in their lalxu-s, a vigorous efibi-t was nuvde bv persons 
owning land on tln' southern boundarv of the Central Pai'k to have 
its dimensions curtailed at that end; and so well did tliev })]av their 
cards, that the Common Council was actually in<bu-e(l to ])ass a reso- 
lution, A})ril od, 1S.')4,* asking the Legislature to change the southern 

■" In the First Annual Reitort on tlic Iniiirovcnicnt (if the Central Park, aiiiu-ndix 
M., p. 130, this (late is wrongly jirintrd IS.'):;. Tin' Act wiiit-li it was in'oiiost'il to amend 
was not passed till July ;.'l, ISoi^ 



N K w V (") UK (! i<: X r i: at, p a i; k . 28 

line of tlie Park, m:ikiii<j; it :il Scveut v-soeoml, instead of at Fifty-ninth 
Stivct, and only the cnipliatic veto of Mayor Wood sa\ed the ])\i1)lic 
fiMin the annovance and expense ot this tiirthcv (U'lay. .Mr. Wood's 
|inl)lie rcroi-d is evcrv wav so nnliandsonie, that \vc ai'e u'lad to Ix' 
able to i;i\-e him ercdit for at least nnv creditable act. Tiiis thiH'at- 
ened trotdile h;i\inu' once blown owr, there seems to liavt- been no 
further opposition, and, as \\i' ha\'e seen, the pnirhase of t lie I'.-irk was 
at length completed. 



^Ir. Eo'bert L. Viele, the eiiu'ineer by wdiom the land for the 
Central Park was tirst surveyed, intimates, in his iv[)ort to the com- 
missioners (IS.57), tliat secret influences worke(l with the Legislature 
to hinder further action in getting the park im[)rovement under way ; 
and very possibly this nniy have been so, although it is ditticidt to 
see what malcontents cotdd have hoped to do in opposition to the dv- 
cisive stejJS already taken by the constitute(l authorities, acting in 
obedience to the clearlv e\]iresse(l will of the major part of the 
[)eople. l)Ut, for some reason oi- other, hard at this late day to dis- 
cover, the Legislature did notiiiiig looking toward a govt'rnmt'iit for 
the Park, and hence, on the 10th of May, 1850, the IJoard of Aldei-- 
men adopted an or<linance appointing the ]Mayor and the Stri'ct Com- 
niissioner commissionei-s with full authority to govern tlu' Park, to 
determine upon a })lan for its improvement, and to ap])oint suc-h )ier- 
sons as they might see tit to cai-ry out their intentions. ]Mr. Fernando 
Wood and Mr. Jo!«eph S. Taylor, the then Street Commissioner, thus 
emi)Owered, entered at once and with commendable spirit upon the 
discharge of their duties. Feeling that their position was one of 
gi-eat responsibility and difficulty, they determined to seek the best 
advice they could obtain from men whose public and sc)cial position, 
with their i-eputation foi- taste and judgiiient, would give their 
opinions weight. Tliey therefore invited Washington L'ving, (ieorge 
Pancroft, James F. CooU'y, Charles F. Priggs, James Phalon, Charles 
A. Dana, and Stewart Urown to attt'ud the meetings of the connnis- 
sion an<l form a boai'il of consultation for the ]iurpose of discussing 
what coui-se had best be j)ursue(l in order ti) secuiv a suitable design 
for laving out the I'aik. The tii-st of these nu'CtiuLis was held on thi' 



24 n I S T O R Y O V T H K 

'29th of May, 1850. 31r. Irviiiy,- was made president of the ]>oard, 
and the })reUiniuaries were t^ettled for carrying out tlie objects of tlie 
commission. At suhsequent meetings Aarious 2»hins lor the improve- 
ment of tire Park were presented to tiiem, but, on tlie whole, little was 
accomplished until the design sent in by Mr. Egbert L. Viele, the 
engineer of the Park, and strongly backed by Mayor Wood, was 
adopted. This seemed to be an important point gained, but, foi'tu- 
nately for the city, it resulted in uothing. No money was ajipro- 
j)riated I'or the use of the connnissioners, and we were thus sa\ed the 
mortitication of seeing all the labor that had been expended in secur- 
ing the Park thrown away, and all the herpes that had l)eeu held of its 
beauty disappointed l)y the adojjtiou of a commonplace and tasteless 
design. 

The tirst anruuil report of the engineer of the Central Park Avas 
sent to the commissioners, January 1st, 1857. It forms Document No. 
5 of the Proceedings of tlie l^oard of Aldermen f)r that year, and be- 
side a history of the J*ark up to the lime when the ivport was sent in, 
it contained a lithograph of ]\Ir. N'iele's jilau and a full description of 
it. This ]^lau would hardly be worth speaking of to-day, if there had 
not been at one time a }>ersistent effort nuule to convince the ])ublic 
that the plan afterward adopted — the t>ne designed l)y Olmsted and 
Vau\, was a i)lagiarism, in, at least, two essential })oiuts, from that of 
.Air. A'iele. It is very much to be regretted that such a charge as this 
should e\'er have 1)eeu permitted to be uiade ; for while any one, who 
ielt sutticieut interest in the matter, to investigate it, could easily have 
satisfied liimself tliat the accusation had no foundation in fact, it was 
by no means easy Ibi- the i)ul)lic to know on which side the ]-ight lay. 
As the first re[)ort of the engineer to the then Connuissioners of the 
Park (Messrs. Woo<l and Taylor) has long been out of print, we can- 
not refer the readei- to it tor an e\[)lanatiou of the difi'ereuce between 
]\lr. Vieh'V jilan and the one afterward ado|)ted. We may, however, 
state, in a few words, what were the mairi features of the design after 
which it was at first propost'd to lay out tlie Park, describing them 
from the otficial co])y of 31r. Viele's own drawing contained in his 
report, which is now before us. To be frank, tliis plan, about A\hich 
so much was at one time Avritteu, is just such a luatter-of-fact. taste- 
less affair as is always prodiu-ec] by engineers (begging pardon of the 



NKW YOllK CKNTIiAJ. P A 1! K 



'^fi 



wliolc iisct'ul Ixxlv), when tlic\' .•Utciii|it any thing in the \\a\' ofni-na- 
mcnlal dcsi^ii. Xo lliou^lit was i-('(]uiri'<l to make it, ami no other 
knowledge than a mere ac(|naintance witli tlie to|iou,'ra|)h v of tlie 
gronnd to l)e wofkeiL Tiiere is not a single ditticnltv ONcreome, a 
single advantage iinpi'o\cd, a single \ alnahle oi' st riking ini[)i-o\ cnienl 
suggest('(l. The roads follow the natnral IcncIs as i'ar as possible, the 
existing watei'-eonrses ai'c allowed to, remain as they are, excejtt that 
in two oi' ihi'ee places the waters of marshy spots ai'e colleetiMl into 
] tools, and this, literally, is the only appearance of any intent ion to do 
any thing for the sake of heant y or pict ures(pieiiess. .Vs for the ai'- 
rangemtait of the roads, nothing could he moi-e simple, and, at the 
same time, nothing could he more uninteresting. ^V driye, ninety feet 
wide, starts from the eoiMU'r of Fifty-nintli Stivet and the Fifth .\ye- 
nne, skirts the l)onndai"y of the Pai"k, ki'e[iing as (dose to it ;l.s possi- 
l)le, cuts round tlie new Ifeseryoir to the 0[)])()site side,:-and running 
along nearly ])arall(d with the Kiglith .Vyenue, k'aves the Pai-k at the 
soutliwest corner. This drixc, .Mr. Mele calls, "The Circuit," and it 
is one of the two "ideas" Avliicdi jiis newspaper advocates charged the 
present ])lan Avitli having borrowed from him: Ave shall see later Avith 
how little I'eason. .Vftt-r ha\ ing followed tlu' "Circuit,'' unless the 
visitor then took "The (ilen IJoad," leading in a ni'arly direct line 
from a point between the Sixth and Seventh Avenues to the smaller 
IJeservoir, he would see nothing more of the Pai'k than he might have 
seen if he had gone u[> the Fifth A\emii', an<l down the F'ighth. The 
other "idea"' which the present plan was chai'ged with lia\ ing l)or- 
rowed from Mr. \'iele, is that of the transverse roads for traffic. Xow, 
these trans\erse roails are indispensai>h', considering the situation of 
the I^irk, and the shape of the city. Take them away; prevent carts, 
wagons, oinnil)Uses, from crossing the Park anywhere between the 
streets that bound it on the nortli and south, and you niaki» two st'p- 
arate cities, one on either si(h'. To put transverse I'oads into the plan, 
if, indeiMl, they had not been c\[)ri'ssly calletl tor l>y the inst ructions of 
the ( 'onimissioners to the competitors, was a natural notion enough; 
it might ha\e occuri'ed to anybody. Put anybody, oiu; would hax'e 
thought, could also ha\ e seen that unless some way were de\ ised, at 
the same time, of lia\ ing, and not ha\in'_^' them: of ii,etting the good, 
and a\<)iding the e\il of them, the I'ai'k would lie seriously injuri'd. 



2(i 



HT STORY OF THE 



No other wav occurivd to Mr. \'it'le, iior, indeed, to any of the com- 
petitors l)ut the successful ones, but just t<> lay transverse roads across 
liis ]»lan on a le\el A\if]i the surface like all the other roads in tlie 
Park. It must be ])lain at a glance tluit tliis arrangement wouhl ha^e 
destroyed the ]>leasure of dri\ing or walking in the Park, to say noth- 
ing of its Avant of elegance. As AVe sliall see, the authors of the suc- 
cessful ])lan, by a method as simple as it Avas ingenious, ;;ecured e\- 
ery thing that was needed for the accommodation of traffic, while, at 
the same time, thev secured tin' ])ri\acv and comfort of A'isitors. Their 
])lan in no wav impaired the beauty of the Park nor interfered with 
its utility. 

It was soon foiuid that tmless either th(> Legislature or the city 
authorities took more active measures for the government and im- 
jirovement of the Park, the enterprise must fail of Ix'ing carried out 
in a creditable inannei'; and, ac-cordingly, on the 17th of April, liSoT, 
the Legislature appointt'd a new Commission, consisting of eleven 
members, who were to hold office for live years, and who were eni- 
])Owered to exjjend a sum of money the interest of which should not 
exceed thirty thousand dollars. To raise this money the Common 
Council of thecitv issued stock having thirty years to run,Avhich was 
inmu'diately taken u[) by the ])ublic. 

()ne of the first acts of the new Commission was, to lay aside tlie 
plan of j\L'. Yiele, and to ad\n'rtise for lU'W plans, to be sent in, in 
competition. The tinu' at iii'st tixt'd upcui uj) to Avhich ])lans could 
be sent in was the 1st of March, but it Avas afterwanls extended, at 
the re(juest of immerous ])ersons intending to eom|)ete, to the 1st of 
April, at Avhicli time thirty-three plans had been sent in. These ])lans 
Avere placed in a I'oom on Jiroadway that had been hired for the \>\iv- 
pose, and from that time until the L'lst of April the Poard fre<piently 
held its meetings tliere, in order to fu-ilitate a carefid examination 
and thorough discussion of the merits of the se\'ei-al plans. ( )u the 
L'lst of April the Connnissioners met to decide upon the choice of a 
plan, and on the lirst voting, No. 3o, bearing tlie motto "(xreen- 
swai-d,"'' Avas declared, by the ballots of seven membei-s out of the 
eh'\'en, to be entitled to the first prize of two thousand dollars. The 
other jiri/es Avere a\\ai-<led Avith more difficult V. The I'oU had to l)e 
calle(l four limes befoiv it could be dt'cided A\hich Avas the second-best 



X K AV \ n\i K ( : 1<; X T II A L P A R K . 27 

(Ifsiij;!!, I'lititU'd to a ihI/a' oC one tliou^aiid dollars, and an almost iMnial 
ditiicuUy was met with ni iixnii;- upon tlic coniid'tiloi's dcscrvinni- oi' 
the thinl and t'oni-lli ]in/.es. Indc('(l, llic excellence of '' ( irei'nsward'' 
liad been easiK seen to l)e pre-eminent, Irom tlu' iirst, and yet, at one 
time, it ran a diance ofbeinjj; thrown out of the eoiniiet it ion, lor, on 
the ACi-y da V of decision, t wo of the memhers of t he I >oa rd en dea\(>red 
to <4-et I'id of it 1»\ ingenious stratagems. Oik- ]ir()lesled against its 
heinn" e\en considered, on the ground that- in his opinion the plan was 
not rect'ix t'<l by the Uoai'd on the 1st day of April, hut on t he '2^1, and 
too late to entitle it to a premium according' to the terms of the ad- 
Acrtisement. This protest was laid on the table, only the mover and 
one (»tlier C'ommissionei- votini;- in favor of it. Then that other Com- 
missioner moved that tliere was no plan entitled to tlie tirst jtrizi', but 
this, too, was hist. It was plain tlnit the majority had settle(l with 
unanimity on this plan, and were determined to give it the pi-efer- 
ence. And, indeed, it well deserved it, as tlie ])ul)lic freely admit ti'tl 
when it was exliibited to them, and as time lias since abundantly 
prove(l. 

Tlie autliors of ■•' (Treensward,'' the successful plan, pi-o\ed to be 
]Mr. Frederick Law Olmsted and Mv. Calvert A^aux : both well 
known and highly esteemed by a lai'ge and cultivated circle in this 
connmmil v. 

^Ir. Olmsted, young as he was, liad already a national reputation. 
lie is an American of Americans, was long a successful practic-al farm- 
I'r, and while still engaged in that pursuit liad publislied a remarkalile 
little book, tlie record of a vacation ramble, called '•'•Walks and Talks 
of an .Vmerican Farmer in England.'' But he liad, since that time, 
bi'come iiioi-e widel}' known by his letters to the '■'New York Times'" 
newspaper, written during a tour through the Southern States, under 
the signature of '•'^Yeoman," and afterwards published in a volume — 
"Tile Sea-board Sla\e States." This book contained the Iirst, reliable 
account of the condition of societv in the South, especially in the re- 
gions awav from the great cities, that had, np to that time, Ik'cii pub- 
lished in the North. It was written in so manly, st i-aight tbrward a 
style, with such an i'\ itleiit (h'tt'rminat ion to the plain, unvarnished 
truth, that it cari-ie<l conviction with it, and no less won a wide pub- 
lic respect for the characti'r ol'tlie writer. We speak of it here, be- 



2y HISTORY V T 11 ]'] X E AV Y O R K C ]-: X T R A L PA R K . 

(•;uise llie (lualities that luude it were qualities tliat showed tliemselve.s 
latei-, wlieii Mr. Ohnstecl tilled the position of Superiiitendeut of the 
Park, and Ari-liitect-iii-C'hief. Tiie ])ul)lic will never know all that it 
owes ill tlie j)ossession of the Pai'k to Mr. Olmsted's vigor; to liis 
(jiiiet, earnest zeal ; to his inte<*-rity, and to the alnnidance of his re- 
soin'ces. Few Aniericans in our time liaAe shown so great adminis- 
ti-ati\(' abilities. 

Mr. C'ahert A^aiix is an Eiigiisliman Ijy l>iith and training, wlio 
eanie to this country, and adopted it for his permanent home, in 1852. 
He left England on the invitation of Mr. Downing, to whom he had 
l)een highly recommended as the person best fitted to assist him in 
]>is profession of architt'ct and landscape-gardener. He establishe<l 
himself at Xewbui'u,', as Mr. l)owning''s partner in business, and on 
the untimely (U'ath of that gentleman in 1853, he succeeded to his 
large and pi'otitable clientage. At the time of tl;e acceptance of his 
and ]\Ir. Olmsted's design for the Park, he was already known as a 
skilful architect, and as the author of a \aluable work on the subject 
of Domestic Architecture. It would hardly have been possible to fiml 
in our community two men better fitted l>y education, by experience, 
an<l by a combination of valual»le qualities, to carry out so difficult 
and so important an undertaking as that of the Central l^irk. Pei-- 
hapsit was not a meiv piece of good luck that bi-ought them together, 
and that swayed the CommissioiU'rs so luianimouslv in favor of their 
work, but a soi-t of fiite which easily brings like to mate with like, 
and makes the fruit of such a union its t»wn best praise. 



TILE CENTRA r. PARK. 



TriK autliors of "(rreenswaRl,'' when they i^eiit in tlieij' phui, 
accompanied it with a isniall printed pamphlet ex})lanatorv of its 
main featnres, and of the general princi])les that luul ynided them 
in the design. Tliis pamphlet has recently, after an interval of ten 
years, been reprinted, and one cannot but be struck in reading it 
witii the evidence it gives of a tliorough nnderstanding on the part 
of its antlioi's, Ijoth of what the piil:)lic needed in a Park of this 
character, and how its needs could most perfectly be met. This 
reprint contains two wood-cuts: one, of the original design, and the 
other of the Parle in its present condition, showing how far the 
original design has been carried out, and how fiir it has been modi- 
fied and improved npon. On examining these two plans, we sliall 
find that, exce})t at the north, where the extension of the boundai'v 
line from lOGlh to 1 10th Street rendered an entire revision of the 
original design in the upper portion necessary, the })lan, in its main 
features, is tlie same in 1808 that it was in 1858. Such differences 
as will be observed are, nearly all, what may be called external, re- 
lating to the widening of the streets that suri'ound tlie Park, the 
grading of the avenues, and tlie improvement of the several ap- 
proaclies. In almost every case, too, the changes and im])rove- 
ments tliat liave been made were strongly recommendctl in this re- 
port, and have ])cvn found necessary by experien(;e. This is espe- 
cially wortliy of remark because it gives us a warrant that this im- 
})ortant work is being carried out with deliberation and thoughtfid 
care. It was oi'iginally planned witli an intelligence and forc^siglit 



30 DI<:SCRIPTION OF THK 

that iiKulc nothing necessary but to develop the design, and ten 
\eai's" use of the Park by the public has sufficiently j^roved its ex- 
cellence.* A glance at the Plan, l)efore beginning our running de- 
scription of the Park in detail, will enable us to understand it bet- 
ter. It will be seen tliat the whole area is naturally divided into 
two clearly delined but unerpud parts by the prominent transverse 
ridge lying between 74th Street and 97tli Street, whieh is still fur- 
ther enipliasized by the old and new Reservoirs, two immense 
structures, whose existence ought, in our opirnon, to have been a 
})oweri'ul argument against the selection of tliis particular tract l<_)r 
the site of the Central Park. Large as the Park appears to us t(_)- 
day, it will at no very distant time appear too small for the number 
of people who will make use of it, and the withdrawal of 13 6 acres, 
tlie united area of the two Peservoirs, from the 768 acres, which is 
the whole number contained within the bounding lines of the Park 
is a serious drawback. It is, however, of no use to find fault at 
this late day witli the choice of site, and the Commissioners have 
done wisely in endeavoring to make the most of what has been put 
into their hands; and, so well have Messrs. Olmsted and Vaux 
managed with the ground on either side of these Reservoirs, that 
we may say the smaller one — the old Reservoir — is hardly felt any 
longer as an obstacle. The Park is divided into two distinct jvirts, 
then, by the new Reservoir alone. Let us, first, consider tlie lower 
of these two divisions. It has been taken for granted — it certainly 
might reasonably have been taken for granted in 1858 — that the 
great throng of visitors must, for a long time, enter the Park from 
the region below 59th Street. And, accordingly, the two principal 
entrances of the southern half of the Park have been made, the one, 
at the southeastern angle — -Fifth Avenue and Fiftv-niuth Street — 

Pedi'^lriaiis. ICiim-stiiniis. Vobiclcs. 

* Ju 1SG2, theiv visik'd iho Tiirk, 1,995,918 71,045 709,010 

'•1864, •• •• •• 2,li9.""),199 101),:i97 1,148,1G1 

•• 13G6, •• ■• " :!,412,S9J 8G,757 1,519,808 

'■ 1867, '• •• ■• 2,998,770 84,994 l,:i81,G97 



XKW YORK CKXTKAT. T A 1{ K . p,l 

and tlu' otlier at llic soulliwcstcni aiiiilc — Eighth ^\\'(M1uc and Fif- 
ty-ninth Street. We will enter the Park at the former of these 
gateways, and kvne it hv the other, Unr it will he ohsei'veil that the 
road starling froiu eithei' of these enti'anees leads naturally towai'd 
the interior of the Park, aiul in e\ery legitimate wav a\-oids])laying 
the part (;f a mere skirting or circuit road. The pi'ineipal defect of 
the l^ai'k site is its disproportioned length, and it is especially de- 
sirable that the visitor's attention should he called as little as possible 
to the boundaries east and Avest, which, when the best lias been 
done, are found very difficult to keep out of sight. Every one of 
the competing designs except "Greensward "' made the circuit-drive, 
keeping as close to the boundaries as possible, a prominent feature, 
and, probably, for tlie reasons that it was thought best by the de- 
signers, not only to secure as long a drive as the size of the Pr.rk 
would admit, but to have as large a space as possible in the middle 
of the tract free, or comparatively free, for those who came to the 
Park not to drive, l)ut to walk, or stroll, or play. Messrs. Olmsted 
and Vaux alone saw that the boundary line must be avoided ; but, 
thev also saw that the enjoyment of one class of visitors must not 
l)e allowed to interfere with that of any other. The first of these 
principles made them lead their drive at once toward the centre, 
and even on the west side, where it assumes more the character of a 
circuit-drive, it will be observed that the curves continually lead in, 
and that the n^ad, in its whole length, approaches very near the 
boundarv but once or twice, and then only wdien obliged to do so 
by the new Reservoir and by the western end of the lake. The 
second of these principles has been acted upon in the ingenious ar- 
rangement by which the drives, bridle-paths, and walks are k"i'])t 
entirely separate and distinct, so tliat visitors desiring to enjoy eitluM- 
recreation, may do so without interference. The whole Park may 
be enjoyed by any one, whether in his carriage, on horseback, or on 
foot; and, though ingenuity always reaches its end at the least ex- 
pense, yet no necessary expense has been sjKinMl to cm-i-y out this 



32 



D E S (J 11 1 P T I O N F T H E 



udiuinible jmrt of the Park system as perfectly as is possible. The 
drives in the Parle varv in width, the widest being sixty feet, and 
the narrowest forty-five ; they are followed in their whole length 
by walks tor ^pedestrians, but there are a great number of these 
walks that avoid the carriage-road altogether. The bridle-path is 
twenty-five feet wide, and, in the southern half of the Park, runs a 
course quite inde})endent of the drive, but in tlie northern half, the 
(Yjuestrian has the choice, at present, of turning into the drive after 
passing the (dd Reservoir and leaving it again after making the cir- 
cuit of that ]:)ortion, or of shortening his run by rounding the Res- 
ervoir, and so home. Meanwhile children, pedestrians, and old or 
young who come with a l)ook, with knitting, or merely to sit and 
look on the scene, have, free from interruption either by carriage or 
luM'semen, the ]\rall, the Terrace, the Ramble, the many picturesque 
and comfortable summer-houses, and the border walk about the in- 
land sea of the new Reservoir. 




THE LAKE NEAU FIFTH AVENUE AN'T) FIFTT-N'INTH STHEET. 

Immediately on entering the southeastern gateway — Fifth Av- 
enue and Fifty-ninth Street— we see on our left hand an irregular 
piece of water with banks of considerable steepness. This is called 
" The Pond." It is about five acres in extent, and, like all the wa- 



N K W YORK CKNTHAL I'AUK 



88 



ter-pieces iu tlic Park, is largely artilicial, advantage being taki'ii ol' 
the natural drainage oi' the ground. On the western side the l)aid<s 
projeet boldlv into tlie water, thus giving it a sort oi' crescent shape, 
and, 1)V dividing it into Iwo })arls. ailding greatly to its vai'iety. ^riie 
banks are cpiite picturesipie ; her(>, a bold blulT on the eastern side 
answers to the rocks on the west; lun'c a broad grassy slope de- 
scends to the verv edgt; of th(! water, and on the southern side a 
sandv beach cnal)k\s the chikb'cn to watch, the ducks and swans. 
In the skating season this Pond makes a capital cliapel-of-ease to 
the larger Terrace Lake, and hundreds of skaters stop here at the 
entrance to the Park in preference to taking the additional walk, 
and joining the larger crowd. As we })ass the Pond we st'c the 



<s^ 







Arsenal on our right, a large, and by no means handsome building, 
formerly owned by tlie State, but purchased by the City in 185G 
for the sum of $275,000. This purchase included, of course, the 
ground on which the Arsenal stands, and it was shortly afterward 
taken possession of by the Commissioners, and used ibi- various 
purposes. The lower stories seCved for lumber rooms, and in the 
up}:)er part the large stafi:' of architects and engineers' draughtsmen 
found roughdooking, Init, on the whole, very pleasant (piartcrs. 



g^ D E S C R I P T 1 N F T n E 

Perhaps, however, we shall not be far wrong if we fancy the Ar- 
senal to have proved as troublesome a gift to the Conmiissioners as 
the elephant was to the bewildered man who (h-ew him in a Lottery. 
The Arsenal is a very large building, and is very jjoorly built. It 
is a parallelogram Avith an octagonal tower at each angle, and two 
side entrances, eacli flanked by towers. None of these are in 
realitv towers at all, l)nt mere octagonal projections from the walls; 
they are nevertheless carried above the roof, which is flat, and, in 
order to complete the resemblance to towers, they are finished on the 
inner side with wo()d. All the l)uilding, as all the work of everj^ 
kind, that has been done in the Park, is of so solid and exccdlent a 
sort, tliat it must be a perpetual annoyance to the Commissioners to 
have such a ilimsv, make-believe structure as this on their hands. 
There have been various propositions to make it serve some uselul 
pur})ose. At one time there was talk of the Historical Society 
taking it, and transferring thither their collections. This intention 
has, we believe, been abandoned, partly because the Historical So- 
ciety is ncjtyet in a pecuniary condition to avail itself of the op])or- 
tunity, but principally, we susj^ect, because the Commission has de- 
termined that the establishment of institutions, whether literary or 
scientific, within the Park, ought not to be encouraged, on account 
of its limited area. The proper place for our Histoi-ical Societies, 
Museums of Natural History, Collections of Antiquities, Librai'ies, 
and Picture Galleries, will be on the avenues that border the Park, 
or better still, on squares opening out of those avenues. Of late, 
the Arsenal building has been used as a place of deposit for the 
somewhat incongruous "gifts" that are maile to the Park every 
year. Here are deposited several of the designs of the original 
competition; among them the curious model made by Mrs. Parrish, 
to illustrate the design she sent in on paper. In the second story 
are a nundjer of stuffed animals, and on the ground-floor a small 
but interesting collection of living ones. There are also cages con- 
taining eagles, foxes, prairie-dogs, and bears, outside the building, 



NEAV YORK CENTRAL PARK, 



35 



hut it is liopod lliat lu'lurc long sufficient progress will have been 
made with the grounds of the Zoological Garden — on the western 
side of the Eighth Avniue, hetwecn 77th and 81st streets — to allow 
of all the animals helonging to the ]"*ark hcing removed to ([uarters 
expressly (h^signcMl for tlicm, ;ind snitr(l to their condoii, ami well- 
heing. 

Just helbre reaching the Arsenal the hridle-road and foot-path, 
which, for a short distance have run parallel, diverge: the oncturn- 
ino- sharp to the west and running under the carriage-road, which 
spans it by a handsome bridge of Albert sandstone, the other keep- 




riRlPGE OVER THE [JIUiiLE TATll NEAR AUSENAI,. 



ing due north, passing the Arsenal, and a little beyond it going nnder 
one of the transverse traffic-roads, to wdiich we have before alluded 
There are four of tliese transverse roads in the whole length of the 
Park : om^ at Sixty-lifth Street ; another at Seventy-ninth ; a third 
at Eighty-lifth Street, on the Fifth Avenue, but as it follows the 
curved southern wall of the new Keservoir, this road comes out at 
Eighty-sixth Street on the Eighth Avenue. 1'he fourth road is at 
Ninety -seventh Street. The original instructions to the competitors 
called for these transverse roads, l)ut no one of the designs, except- 
ing "Greensward," offered any solution to the very serious prol)leni 
presented by the necessity of making provision for the traffic that 



o() 



DESCRIPTION OF T If p] 



must at some day he })rovided witli roadway across tlie Park, and 
wliicli must yet, at tlie same time, be prevented from interfering 
witli tlie objects for wLicli the Park lias been created. All tlie 
otlier competitors merely carried tlieir transverse roads from one 
side of tlic Park to tlie other, on the surface, keeping the same level 
with the other roads, and not in any way to be distinguished from 
them. Of course, such an arrangement as this would have even 
now been suflicient t<_) interfere seriously with tlic comfort, the re- 
tirement, and even the safety of tlic Ptirk. What would it have 
been in twenty years, when the steadily adyaiicing lIoo<l of houses 
and shops, witli their swarms of inhabitants, shall have broken 
against the southern boundary of the Park, crowded u}) the narrow 
territory on either side, and met again, to spread over the whole 
northern end of the island ? Messrs. Olmsted and Vaux early saw 



■^ 




fHE MAI.L, LUOKINQ VV. 



this difficulty, and devised the plan, which was at once adopted, of 
carrying these transverse roads below the level of the Park surface. 



X E \V Y O U K 1<: N T R A L P A 1 !. K . 37 

The only place where any one of tlicse traffic-roads goes over, in- 
stead of under, the other roads of the Pai'lc, is at the point we have 
just mentioned, near the Arsenal, where the ibot-path jiasses under 
an archway of Albert sandstone, witli abutments of stone and a 
railing of iron supported by stone posts. Meanwliil(\ the cai'riage- 
road, crossing the bridle-patli by the stone bridge slunvn in tlic cut, 
crosses this same traffic-road by a bridge whose architecture is near- 
ly concealed by the shrubbery — for, whenever it has been possible 
to do so, the architects have endeavored to keep the existence of the 
traffic-roads out of mind, as well as out of siglit — and in a few 
minutes reaches the southern end of the Mall. 

The ]\rall is a straight walk leading, I'rom a point just be^^oud 
the lirst traffic-road, where the roads starting from the Eighth and 
the Fifth Avenues meet, to the architectural structure called " The 
Terrace." It is one thousand two hundre<l and twelve feet in length 
and thirty-tive lectin width, and is planted in its whole extent with 
a double row of American elms. It is intended to serve both for a 
promenade and a resting-place; the ground has been carefully con- 
structed to be pleasant to the foot, and comf )rta]de seats are })laccd 
at frecpient points. At a point near the southern end of the Mall, 
between the last two elms on the eastern side, is the site where the 
proposed statue of Shakespeare is to be erected. The stone on which 
the pedestal is to be placed was laid with appropriate ceremonies on 
Saturday, the 23d of April, 1864, that day being the three hundreth 
anniversary of the poet's birth. The proposition to erect this me- 
morial was made by Messrs. James II. Ilackett, Esq., William 
Wheatley, Esq., Edwin Booth, Esq., and Hon. Charles P. Daly, on 
behalf of the Shakespeare Dramatic Association. The public have 
been appealed to for contributions, and have liberally respcmded, so 
that the statue, which has been designed by one of our best scul})tors, 
J. Q. A. Ward, Esq., will, before long, be added to tlie attractions 
of the Park. Although wc are not able to present our readers with 
an engraving of this statu(% since it has not vet left the artist's stu- 



88 



DESCRIPTION OF THE 



clio, we may venture to assert that, not merely as a work of art, but 
as a psychological study of the man, Shakespeare, founded as it is on 
a careful analytical study of the Stratford bust and of the Droeshout 
engraving, it can liardly fail to be of value, and may give us, what 
it would be very pleasant to have, a standard imaginary statue of 
Shakespeare. 

One of the two drives starting from the Eighth 7\venue entrance 
Joins the drive we have been thus far following from the Fifth Ave- 
nue, but, as will be seen l)}" a reference to the Plan, they again di- 
verge, the one keeping to tlie left of the Mall, and the other to the 
right of it. Our road continues, winding a little, but without any 
sliarp turns, until it reaches the new Reservoir; but there are 







- N N*'V '/ 



THE FOOT-PATH DY WII-LOWS, SOUTH-EAST OF THE MAI,L. 



XKW YORK CENTliAL PARK. 39 

several points wliieli \vc> pass l)etbi-(^ getting so liir, and as we are 
not conlined to a literal \-eliicle in this imaginary visit ol' ours we 
can stop and look alioiit ns at our leisure. 

At a short distance from tlu^ soutlu.'i'n en<l of the ^fall the dri\'e 
crosses the bridge shown in our cut, a neat stiaictur*' of dai'k red 
Lrick, the masonrv of wliich, like all the masoni'v in tiie Pai'k, is 
the very best of its kind. Looking over the bi'idge at the lett, we 
see a group of large old willows, evidently an(;ient denizens of this 
region. When the Commissioners first took the Park lands in hand 
they found very few trees of any consideral)le size growing on this 
nearly barren tract, Ijut they very jealousl\- ]»reserved all that they 
did lind. Among them were these willows, and there were, here 
and there, other specimens of the same tree, which we sliall meet 
with further on. There are also a few oaks of good size near the 
Casino, and a small group of pines on the lawn west of the Mall. It 
mav be remembered that one of the principal recommendations of 
the Jones's Wood site for the Park v;as the large and flourishing 
growth of forest trees that nearly covered that tract of land, whereas 
the site of the Central Pai'k \vas rocky and marshy, and not only 
had few trees, but had scarcely any thing that deserved the name of 
shrubbery. But, after consnlting with all the gardeners who ha<l 
had experience in the matter, the weight of evidence seenie(l to lie 
against the practice of cutting walks and drives through old wood- 
land where it is found necessary to fell much of the standing timl)er. 
And although it was }>lain that it would be necessarv to wait a con- 
siderable time before any very striking or satisfactory result could 
be looked for from young plantations, it was decided tt) take the 
barren tract — the sheet of wdntc paper, and write the future Park 
pioem npon that. The })opular desire, verv loudly and imjiatiently 
expressed, for large trees, drove the Conmiissioners into planting tlu' 
Mall with elms too far advanced in growth to be moved with safety. 
This was done by contract with a ])erson who agreed to (hunand pay 
ioronlv such trees as lived, and the result of the lirst velar's ])]ant- 



40 



DESCRIPTKJX OF TllK 



ing was that a large number of the trees not only on tlic Mall but 
in otlier parts of the Park died, though the most eonsiderable plant- 
ing had been along the Mall. Sinee that time the experiment of 
moving large trees has been abandoned, and tlie public has ceased 
worrying the Commissioners into trying to circumvent nature. 

The bridge by the willows, which we have just passed over, is 
very prettily constructed within, having seats in niches at the sides, 
which give grateful cooling rest on a sultry day, and in one of these 
niches is a fountain basin, where a draught of cold water can at all 
times be procured. 

As we near Seventy-second Street our carriage-road divides, or, 
rather, sends oft' two branches. One of these is a mere outlet to 
Seventy-second Street ; the other leads to the " Terrace," the central 
object of interest in tlie lower park. It will Ije discovered, liow- 
ever, T>y looking at the Plan, that the roads at this point are so ar- 
ranged as to secure an almost direct communication across the Park 

from the Fifth to the Eighth Ave- 
^ - -— -ti,-= ^^^^- ^ similar arrangement ex- 

"^ ists at One Hundred and Second 

Street, but it is not made as eas}^ 
to cross here as at the lower trans- 
verse, because tlie neighborhood of 
the Park at tliat point does not 
make it desii-able to establish this 
sort of communication as yet. But 
it is evident that, as the city grows, 
it will become necessary to increase 
the flicilities fn- crossing the Park, 
either on foot, or in vehicles, 
whether for pleasure or from neces- 

Dl'.l.NKINU FOUNTAIN. . y-, , . 

sity. I' or mere business communi- 
cation between the two sides of the city, divided as it will be 
lor a distance of more than two miles and a half by the Park — 




X K W YORK r K X T R A I, P A R K 41 

i\\() four trafTu'-ronds nlVonl all the liicilities that will i)r(il)al)ly 
l)c needed. These aiv lor earts and wagons of all descrip- 
tions, for tire-engines, for lunerals— no i'nneral procession is 
allowed to enter lla^ Park ])i'o})er — and lor all vehicles that 
are not suit(>(l to a place of tin; character which onght, to l)e 
maintained in a large ])nlilic pleasnve-ground. Yet, it will easily 
he seen that, for nianv piii-poses, it may V)e highly (h'sirahle to have 
easy access from one side ol the city to the otlier without heing 
ol)liged to use the traffic- roads, lor, these roads, Ixang below the sur- 
face of the ground, thougli open to the light and air, are not as 
pleasant as tliey would l)cif they were not soconhned. A lady in 
her carriage, or a gentleman on horseback or on loot, making calls 
in the side of the city opposite to where they live; a physician 
called suddenly to visit a patient; a patient needing suddenly to 
snnnnon his physician ; boys and girls going to school or to college ; 
— it will l)e allowed that in such cases as these a better means of 
communication than tliat afforded by the traffic-road ought to be 
provided, but, it seems to us, that these are not the only cases which 
need to l)c considered. We dare say that men of the large humanity 
of the designers of this Park did not forget the equal claim of those 
who have humbler errands. The washerwoman going home with 
her basket of snow after a hard day's work over tub or ironing-ta- 
])le; the sewing-girl shut up since early morning in a crowded room 
with the click of her sewing-machine in her car for the oriole's song ; 
the teacher fagged with disciplining those boys whom Plato declared 
to be the most ferocious of wild beasts; — all these, and moi'e besitle, 
need affer their lal)ors the rest of a quiet walk with grass and tn>es 
and sky, to make np for something of what has been lost in the wear 
and tear of the day. For such as tliese the easy communication b)^ 
flowing diagonals fi-oi:i the Eighth Avenue and Fifty-ninth Street 
to Seventy-second and Seventy-ninth streets on the Fifth Avenue; 
from the entrance at the Fifth Avenne and Fifty-ninth Street to 
Seventy-second Street ; and the more direct roads that we have al- 



42 



1» KSCll I I'T 1 OX <»F T H 



ready mentioned at Seventy-second. Ninety-sixth, and One Hun- 
dred and Second streets — were surely designed, and offer a most 
useful preparation for the day's labor, and a most welcome rest af- 
ter it is over. 

As we have reached the neighborhood of the Terrace, we may 
as well visit it now as leave it till our return. Yet the Terrace can 
only be thoroughly seen and enjoyed by those who are on foot, and 
as it is useless for us to attempt a regular and uninterrupted prog- 
ress through the Park in this imaginary visit of ours, w^e will ]jlace 
ourselves again at the southern end of the Mall and approacli the 
Terrace through this overarching green alley, of which it is the care- 
fully designed terminus. 

The two divisions of the Park which we have called " the up- 
per " and the " lower," although artificially separated by the great 




THE TERR.^CE FROM THE NORTH. 



Reservoirs of the Croton Aqueduct, are, nevertheless, clearly defined 
by their natural differences. That portion of the ground north of 



N K W V ( » R K C 1'] N T U A L T A R K . 43 

the Reservoirs is distinguished by tlie freer sweep and greater va- 
riety of its horizon hnes, and by the mueh more beautiful and in- 
teresting character of th(^ hmdscape, not merely in the ]'ark itscll', 
but oi' the surrounding country, which can 1)e commanded from its 
most elevated points. This upper park is much better suited to be 
dealt witli by the landscape gardener, who produces his most legiti- 
mate effects with trees and grass and llowers, with rocks and water, 
and who relies as little as possible upon l)uildings of any kind. 
The lower park, on the contrary, is almost entirely artificial in its 
construction, and de})ends greatly for its attractiveness on artificial 
beauties. Not to trouble the reader with a too scientific statement, 
we will say in a word that the rocky ridge, on the edge of which 
New York island lies, comes to the surflice at about Thirtieth Street, 
and is to be met with, chiefly on the western side, from that })oint 
to Manhattanville. From this ridge to the Hudson is three-cpiarters 
of a mile, and to the East River nearly a mile. On the eastern 
slope the Central Park is placed, and all the water, therefore, that 
either falls in rain, or flows from springs, finds its way naturally in- 
to the East River. The tract, however, is by no means a uniform 
slope ; it is divided transversely by four irregular ridges, with their 
corresponding valleys, the chief of these ridges crossing the Park 
somewdiat diagonally, and thus making the greatest elevation in the 
central, westerly, and northwesterly portions. But there are very 
few places in the whole extent of the Park where rock is not to be 
met with ; with the exception of two tracts — partly boggy and part- 
ly meadow — of ten acres, or thereabouts, each, the report tells us 
that there is not an acre in the lower park, and nearly the same may 
be said of the upper park, wdiere a crowbar could, originallj', have 
been thrust its length into the ground without striking rock ; ;md 
even where the gneiss was not visible to the eye (and for the most 
part it lay bare to the sun with neither niould, nor weeds, nor even 
moss upon it), it w\as found to be v/ithin from two inches to three 
feet of the surface for lonsr distances together. This w^as the condi- 



44 I) KSC R 1 ]'T I ON () F THE 

tioii oltlic Piiik when Mcs.-rs. (Jliusted and Vuiix bcgtin operations, 
a nil it may well Ix' imagined that it was no easy task to ])repare this 
barren waste ior beauty. Let us glauee for a moment at the topog- 
raphy ol' this lower park. We iind in it two lateral valleys, one 
riimiing from about Sixty-lburth Street to the Fifth Avenue angle ; 
the waters that drained this depression liave been gathered into the 
I'ond, whieh we have already (leseril>ed. The seeond valley ex- 
tended from Seventy-seventh Street and Eighth Avenue to Seventy- 
fourth Street and Fifth Avenue. The division between these two 
valleys was a rocky plateau covered with a moderately thick soil, 
but the remainder of the lower park was made up of low hills and 
hillocks, the i-ock of which they were composed everywhere ero[)- 
}>ing out boldly in large, smooth, flatfish masses, washed bare of 
soil. Of this second valley, the northern side was an irregular rocky 
hill-side, crowned most inartistieally by the walls of the old Keser- 
voir, and this was easily in sight from every eminence in the lower 
])ark. As nature had refused to do any thing whatever for this re- 
gion, had, indeed, d(jne every thing to make it a sheet of white i)aper 
Ibr man to write what he could u})on, there was absolutely nothing 
to be done, but to Ijring in all the aids of art and create the attrac- 
tions which nature had failed to furnish out of her own treasury. 
The plan was a simple one, but it was well calculated to produce 
the maximum of effect. The walk we have already described — the 
Mall — crosses the central plateau between the two depressions, di- 
agouidly, but in a direction nearly north and south. It is phuited 
along its whole length with a double row of American elms, set so 
as to leave entirely clear the walk pro}»er, of thirty-live lectin width. 
In the original design there was no entrance to the Mall from the 
sides, but at present two walks cross it, connecting the foot-paths 
that run ])arallel with it on either side. Near the upper end we 
come to the Music-stand, a renuirkably prettv structure, where, 
twice a week, a iirst-rate band perl(;rms. and makes an attraction 
whieh, oM a tine dav, draws inunense crowds. The Music-stand it- 



N i<; w \ ( ) R K r; e n t tj a r. r a k k 



-If) 



sell' is (icconitcil with coloiv ;iinl 'iildiiii:' iil'tiT ;i ilcsin'ii hy Ml', .la- 
col) Wi\;y Moukl, a L;ciitleiii;ui to wlioiu, as wc shall })rescully «<-'<->, 




THK MUalU-BTAND. 



the public is iii(lcl)tc(l I'or almost all tlio decorative work in the 
Park, and without whose help the Terrace, especially, could hardly 
have Ijecoine the attraction it has proved. Just beyond the Music- 
stand we reach the end of the Mall, which opens upon an ample 
rectangle of o:ra\-el, ornaniented with two fountains, with uildcd 
bird-eap:es, and with tvvo extremely pretty driukingd)asins. On mii- 
sic-davs when the sun is o])pressive, this square is covered with a 
li,L;iit awnini;-. and set with benches, where ladies and childreu gatli- 
('!■ and eat creams and ices to the ''Minuet" in Don .luan, or '' Lc 
saJ)re de nion peiv. 

On the opposite sidt^ of this pi-etty pJuza an elegaut screen of 
Albert iVcestone se[iai-ates it IVom the carriage-road. 1o which ac- 
cess is given, howexer, b\- two openings, one at each side, so that 
persons can either lca\c ihcii- carriages to walk in the Mall and lis- 
ten to the music, or i-an take them auaiii alter the entertainment is 



46 



D K S C R I r T I () N V T II K 



over. This carriuge-road, as will Ijc seen bv tlie Plan, runs along 
the edge of the second of the two valleys wLicli we liave mentioned 




^- 



1 5^1f' 



TERRACE— LOOKING SOUTH. 



as dividing the lower park ; and the lake whicli lies at the bottom 
of this depression — for "valley," perliaps, is too high-sounding a 
name — is at present the chief ]ioint of interest in the whole Park, 
though it was originally intended only as a centre of attraction for 
the southern portion. As on music-days, and it is hoped that, be- 
fore long, every day will he a music-day, a great number of peo])le 
asseml)le at this point, in the Mall and on the plaza, on foot, and, 
in the broad drive, in carriages and on horseback — it was found 
necessary to provide a means of reaching the lower level of the lake 
without the necessity of crossing the road, which, especially for 
timid women and for children, would almost always be dangerous. 
Between the two openings in the stone-screen a wide flight of steps 
leads down i'roin the plaza to a broad and well-lighted passage giv- 
ing upon the Terrace and the Lake. 

We have already spoken of the theory on which the drives, 
rides, and w^alks in the Park are arranged — the. theorv that every 



N E AV Y () R K (' K X T R A L P A R K . 



47 



person who comes lierc shall be enabled to enjoy his visit in his 
own way ; that those in carriages shall not be obliged to look out 




STAinS LEADING TO THE LAKE— TEKRACE. 



for the safety of persons on foot; that horsemen shall be free 
to canter, to galloj^, or to trot, without the fear of meeting either 
carriages or pedestrians; and that those who come for a walk, 
whether it be a meditative stroll or a brisk "constitutional,"' 
shall not be run over by Jehus, or knocked down by any fiery 
Pegasus.* Horsemen may, if they choose, ride upon the carriage- 
roads, but pedestrians who take either the drives or the rides do 
so at their own risk. Children, however, are not peraiitted to 
leave the walks, and, by keeping to these, a muscular in Hint 
might toddle from one end of the Park to the other, and run 
no danijer whatever. 



* There is no law of the Park tliat forbids to turn aiul wind the fiery Peuasus. an<l 
witcli tlie woild witli wondrous horsernansliij), if it can Ije done; but Jehu is not al- 
lowed to try his skill. Not only is it forbidden to drive beyond a certain moderate 
rate, but"the roads are intentionally so laid out as to make rneinsi: impossible. 



48 L' !'■ S C R 1 r T I O X ( ) F T TI K 

Tt was i()r llic purpose of carrving tlie foot-walk under the car- 
riage-road at this pai'ticuUir point that the eU^borate architecture of 
the Terrace was designed. It is at present incomplete, and indeed 
it nmst be many years before the design, as it exists on pa]ier, can 
be fully carried out, because it includes fall-length statues, as also 
busts, of distinguished Americans, which it is intended to place 
n])on the large ])edestals that are now covered with temporary 
ornaniental caps. The Commissioners have done wisely in mak- 
ing no attempt whatever as yet to procure statues for these places, 
and it ought not to be done until there is ample means to secure 
tlie l)est work })ossible in America. First-rate statues are as yet 
liardly to be got for money liere, though we cordially l)elieve 
that they will be produced in good time ; but until they can be 
had it is best to wait, I'or a second-rate statue is like a tolerable 
egg — it is not to be endure<l. If oue statue is found fit to be 
placed npon tlie Terrace in a generation, we shall think we are 
getting on very well indeed. But so long as the pedestals want 
their heroes, so long the Terrace will be incom})lete, and people 
will be half-justiiied in saying that it looks sipiat. This, how- 
ever, is a diiliculty which it was not possible for the architects 
to avoid. They probably never expected nor intended that the 
Park would be completed in a single decade, nor in two. Indeed, 
until every tree upon it is fully grown, the effect they liad in 
view at the beginning cannot be realized. 

We must consider the Terrace, then, as an incom})lete an*hi- 
tectural composition, and admire the beauty and variety of its 
decomtiou without troubling ourselves at the absence of what 
we should be very sorry to see supplied, uidess it enhanced and 
crowned those ornaments which are intended to be, finally, not 
])i'in('ipal Init subsidiary. And in passing down the broad and 
elegant stairs that lead to the lower level, we wish to call tlie 
visitors' attention to the panels of the railing which surround 
the well of tlie staircase. It will be observed that no two of 



X K W Y () i; K f " E X T Jl \ \. V A 11 K . 49 

all tlic>S(' iiiaiiy [laiicls ai'c alike, Imt their heaulv and iii<rciiuitv 
are mueli iiioi'e worthy of ailiuiratioii than their Jiiere variety. 
This ])art of ihe Terraee was lirst comj^leted — this and tlu^, stone 
screen-work on the op|)osite sid(! of llu; road. On the staircrasc 
leaduig from the earriage-drix-e to the lower terrace the carving 
of th(! rails and posts with their connecting ramps was execnted 
later: much of it has been only latidy finished, and much remains 
to do. The earlier work is of a more conventional character than 
the later, although it is all based on the forms of vegetation, but 
the decoration of the two great staircases on the north is almost 
pnrely naturalistic, being syml)olic of the four seasons. The main 
design of the Terrace stone- woi-k is due to Mr. Calvert Yaux, 
but the credit of the entire decoration is given by him to his 
able assistant, ^h: ]\[ould. Of this gentleman wx^ have l)ef:)re 
spoken; we need not say that he is a man of remarkable genius, 
for his name' is l)y this time widely knowai, but his connection 
with the architecture of the Park has not been sufliciently recog- 
nized. The truth is that Mr. Mould, who for a long time 
served as simply an assistant to the architect-in-chief, Mr. Olm- 
sted, and to the consulting architect, Mr. Vaux, has proved him- 
self worthy of the equal mention which, after the lapse of nearly 
ten years, the Commissioners have at length awarded him in the 
last report, wdiere he is no longer styled an assistant, but a [)rin- 
cipal. 

Mr. Mould is an Englishman by 1)irth and education. Having 
graduated both at the school and the college of King's College, 
London, he was entered as an articled pupil in the oilice of Owen 
Jones, wdiere he remained from 1840 to bS4<S. While studying 
under the direction of this accomplished artist. Mi-. Mould trans- 
ferred to stone the whole of the second volume of Owen Jones's 
great work on the Alhand)ra — the Detail volume — and also exe- 
cuted wholly the well-known (xray's Elegy Illuminated, and the 
illustrations and illuminations of tlie Book of Common Prayer, 



;■)() 



DKSCT^I PTIO X OF THE 



published by John Mumi}-. AVliile lie was getting steadiness of 
liand, and educating his eye in color under the guidance of Owen 




JACOB WRE\ MOULD. 



Jones, he was not so thoroughly taught in construction, for this 
was never a strong point with his master. In 1848, however, 
Mr. Mould became the first assistant to Mr. Lewis Vulliamy, 
Sir Eobert Smirke's first ]>upil, and author of a well-known work 
on Greek Ornament. Mr. Vulliamy being an excellent construc- 
tionist, his new assistant had now the opportunity he had so long 
desired, to su])plement his knowledge of decorative art with skill 
in more purely ai-chitectural studies. And lie was soon brought 
into the thick of a most searching practical experience. Mr. 
Vulliamv received tlie commission from Mr. Holford. an English 



.V I', W ^' n I! K C !•: N T 1^. A L PA 1! K . .'.l 

geiitleiiKiu. 1<> liuild :i HKiiisioii lor him on tlie t^ite ol' J)()ix'lic'st('r 
House. This was one of \\\r most s[)]eii(li(l commissions that 
lias l)cen o-i\(Mi l>v a pi-ivatt^ ])erson to any architect of onrlimc 
But, scarcclv had work Ween beii'un on the |)hins, when Mr. A'ul- 
linmv, at tlic age of seventy, slipped on th(^ ice at Iligligate, and 
sustained a severe injurv that coniine(l liim to liis lioiise foi" lour 
years. During that time Mr. AEould had entire^ control of the 
office, and built Ilolford House. Its splendor may be imagine(l 
from one single item. Two grand staircases were designcMl for 
it bv Mr. Mould, of which, one was estimated at .£82,000, and 
the other at £5().»»00. Mr. Ilolibrd chose tlie more costly, which 
was built, and stands to-day the most beautiful W'Ork of its kind in 
Europe. Mr. Mould came to tliis country in 1852. Shortly after 
his arrival in New York, and after he had proved his ability in the 
erection of several important structures, he was invited to assist 
Mr. Yaux in the architectural department of the Pai'k', where he 
has ever since been fully employed. His graceiul and unwearied 
hand is seen in many places, and, we hope, will be seen in many 
more: but his princijKil performance in the Park has, thus lar, been 
the Terrace, the general design of wdiich is l)y Mr. A^aux, but all 
the details have been left to Mr. Mould. His work is remark- 
al:)le for its variety and its suggestiveness. He cond)ines a strong 
feeling for color with an equal enjoyment of form, and he has 
such delight in his art that it is far easier for him to make every 
fresh design an entirely new one, than to copy something lie has 
made before. It w\as a fortunate day for the public when Mr. 
Yaux made his acquaintance, and with that quick appreciation 
of excellence which distinguishes hhn, called him to his assist- 
ance. 

Descending the stairs that lead from the Plaza to tlu^ lower 
terrace we find ourselves in a large and deliglitiully cool hall 
whicli has been constructed under the carriage-road. Its decora- 
tion is not yet completed, but enough is finished to show how 



o2 

ricli, 
are 



D E S C? R I P T T X ( ) F T II !•: 



iiiul yet liow elegant, will he the final effect. The walls 
of Albert freestone, with large circular- headed niches, 



,'^^^';^T<-'7 




STONE SIKEEN DIVIDING PLAZA FROM CARRIAGE EOAP. 

designed to l>e filled in with elaborate arabesque patterns in 
encaustic tiles. Tlie whole floor is laid with Minton's tiles, and 
the ceiling is composed of richly gilded ij'(_»n beams, enclosing 
large squares of colored tiles, this being the first time, we be- 
lieve, tlsat tiles have been used here for ceiling decoration. It 
was f()r a long time a problem how to fix them securel}^ beyond 
the ])cradventure of a fall, perhaps upon some luckless pate. By 
a very ingenious, but ^-ery simple, device, the desired safety has 
been secured, and the whole ceilinti: is being covered in the fol- 
lowing manner : — In the first place all the tiles nsed in the Terrace 
were first designed l;)y Mr. Mould, and tlie drawings sent over 
and executed at Minton's works in England. As ordinarilv man- 
ufactured, the tiles have a number of holes sunk in the under 
side and certain ilattisli depressions beside crossing the surface 



X i<: \y V () R K r, !•: x t i ; a i. p a ii k . 53 

in squares, tlicse' holes and depressions beinu for llie jiurpose of 
Lintlijig tlie till* to tlie eenient wliicli is foreed into the body of 
tht' tile by pressure, and, when (h'y. liolds it very seenrely. In 
tliis way all the til<'s used in tlie Terrace flooring and wall work- 
are constructed, but something more was needed in the tiles made 
for tlie ceiling. In the middle of the back of each of these a 
narrow slot is sunk, into which a brass key with a pi-ojecting 
end fits, and is secured by a turn. Tlie hole is then filled up 
with cement, and the removal of the key is impossible, except 
by using considerable force. The tiles having been all prepared 
in tins way, a plate of wrought iron, fitted in.to a frame, is elevated 
by a screw-jack to the top of an iron scafiblding, placed under 
one of the squares formed by the intersection of the iron beams 
of the ceiling. This plate is exactl}^ the size of the square under 
which it now lies. It is pierced with as many holes as there are 
tiles to be laid upon it, and the projecting ends of the brass keys 
we have mentioned fit easily into these holes, and are secured 
by lirass nuts screwed upon the opposite side. When the pattern 
is complete, and each tile firmly fixed in its place, the great iron 
plate is reversed by a simple macliinery and elevated to its place 
in the ceiling, where it is held fast to tlie beams bv strong screws. 
So neatly is the work done, that, to all appearances, the tiles are 
laid upon the ceiling as thev are laid u|)on the floor. 

All the stone-work of this interior is lieautifully carved, though 
nowhere in excess, but to one who enjoys such things it is a 
pleasure to study the variety of design, no two caps or pilasters 
being alike. 

And here let it be said that it is not the artist nor the lover 
of art alone, to whose pleasure and instruction it has been sought 
to minister in the construction of the Terrace, and, indeed of 
every material construction in the Park. It certainly has not 
been from any mere desire to spend money, or to make a dis- 
play, that the Commissioners have seconded the architects in 



54 



DESt'RIPTIOX OF THE 



their (Ictenninatiou to have all tlie mechanical work required on 
tlic Pai-k done in tlie veiy best possible way without stinting, 
though bv n<_) means Avithout counting the cost. But it lias 
been felt that, even if every great public work were not most 
chea})lv done when it is done most thoroughly well, here was, 
beside, an opportunity to teach many lessons to American me- 
chanics in a quiet and unpretending way. On the Park our 
people have had the advantage of seeing the whole operation of 
building these admirable roads, which have never thus far been 
even approached in tlioroughness of construction and fitness for 
their sevend purposes, on this side of the water, and, probably, 



'i . A ^ l-^l'"P ill ^ ^^^ !' l",''! 



•^1 




STAIRS FROM rAREIAGE-noAII TO LOWER TERRACE. 



have ni^ver been surpassed anywhere. Here, also, has been to 
study from the beginning the best masonry that the skill of our 
own and of foreign workmen can produce: and all over the Park, 
by the ingenious management and prudent forethought of the 
superintendent, engineers, and architects, backed bv tlie unfailino- 
zeal and constant watchfulness of the Comptroller and Treasurer, 



X ]■: w Y o n K ( ' I-; x t ji a l i' a i: k . ,-,0 

Andrew II. Green, .1^S([.. the lesson has been taiiiz-lit wlial admir- 
able resnlts flow I'roni laithrul work. IVom a large eeoiiomy, and 
from striet adherence to ])lans elaboratcil with eare, and proved 
wise by every ycai-'s adiled experience. 

On leaving the Hall we conic out npon the lower terrace 
between the two great stairs that descend to it Ironi the carriage- 
road. These staircases have l)een designed with a view to re- 
ceive a great deal of ornamented sculptnre, and nmch of it has 
ali'ctidv l)een exeented. There are, of course, two balustrades 
with their posts and ramps to each of the two staircases, and 
the four have been made enddematic of the seasons. On the 
newel })osts of the balustrades are carved on three sides the 
animals and fruits that belong; to the several seasons — bees, birds, 
butterflies, gra])es, and berries. The balustrades themselves are 
formed of panels with open borders, each panel being tilled with 
a flower or li-uit in the balustrades belonging to Spring, Summer, 
and Autunm, while those of Winter are prettily designetl with 
the leaves and cones of evergreen, and in one of them is a pair 
of skates. All these panels are designed with the idea of kee|)- 
ing as close to nature as possible, conventionalizing the objects 
no more than has been necessai'v to bring them into the squares 
of the panels. The freest and most elal:)orate scul})ture has been 
reserved lor the ramps which take the place of balustrailes be- 
tween the iirst landing and the posts at the head of the stairs. 
The designs for these ramps are composed of flowing scrolls, 
formed bv the branches of flowerino; plants, amon<>' which birds 
hover, alight, an<l plav. On no pul)lic building in America has 
there yet been placed anv sculpture so rich in design as this, or 
so exquisitely delicate in execution. It is not saying as much 
as it mav seem to declare that all the sculpture on the walls ol' 
the new Houses of Parliament in London, is not wortli, either 
for design or execution, these four ramps of the great stairs of 
the Terrace alone. 



56 



DESCr. Il'TTON OF THE 



Tlio l()W(^r terrace is a broad and cliecrful plaza, giving access 
to the Lake, communicating with the upper park by two foot- 



i--^ "-aii t'H^ ^' ri 




FOUNTAIN ON LOWEK TEnRACE. 



paths, and surrounded by a low wall or balustrade of carved 
stone, along which runs a stone seat. In the centre is a fountain 
basin where it was originally , intended to place a fountain de- 
signed by Miss Stebbins, l)ut we are under the impression tliat 
some change has taken place in the plans of the Commissioners 
since the earlier reports w^ere issued, in one of which — the eighth — ■ 
1864, an engraving was published of the design then determined 
on. At the northern side of this plaza is the station for the boats, 
which now constitute one of the gi'eatest attractions of the Park. 
At either side is planted a lofty mast, from which dej^ends a 
standard ; on one of these is embroidered the arms of the State, 
and on the other the arms of the City — arms, so-called, though 
of course they are not arms at all, but, as in the case of every 
one of our States, and of all our cities, that pretend to them, 
thev arc notliing but an incono-ruons and uuartistic assembla2:e 
of supi^osed emblems. Sucli as they are, however, they are sus- 
pended from these elegantly ornamented masts, designed by Mr. 
Mould. The boats, which now number twenty-five, are fastened 



NEW YORK CENTRAL PARK. 



57 



to stakes in a long line at a short distance from the shore — the 
keeper and his men occupying a small house on the water-edge 




UANNER WITH THE ARMS OK THE STATE. 



of the plaza. Although these boats are much used in the sum- 
mer time, and the charge for a trip round the Lake is very small, 
yet the report tells us that the contractor makes 1)ut a small sum 
over his expenses. The boats are light and extremely pretty, 
and their skilful management renders them perfectly safe, no 

8 



58 DESCRIPTION i)F T II K 

accident of anv kind liaving liappened in the nse of tliem since 
the lirst two or three were placed on the Lake. Moored at the 




BOAT HOUSE SOUTHWEST ENTi OK LAKE. 



eastern end of tl;e Lake the visitor will see the Yenetian gondola, 
presented to the Park, in 18(52, bv John A. C. Gray, Esq., for- 
merly a commissioner. This is a real gondola and not a mere 
model, Init it is not used, becanse Mr. Gray did not, at the same 
time, present the Connnissioners with a Venetian gondeJier to 
manage it! However, it looks sufficiently romantic, lying in 
all its low, black length upon this water hardly more ruffled 
than that of its native canals. 

There are six landings where the boats can stop in the round 
trip, either to take up or to leave passengers. These landings 
are pretty structures, differing from one another in design, and 
are much frequented by the children, who sit in them to watch 
the swans and snow-white ducks who tamely come at a call. 
These swans form an unfailing delight to all young persons who 



X K W Y R K (' K X T li A F. I' A 1! K . 59 

visit tlic Park, and, indectl aiv liardly less attractive to adults. 
In March, IsOO, tlic City <>!' llaiiil;)ui-gli tlirougli its consul to 




:?->- 



BOAT norSF, NEAR RAMBLE. 



America, the late George Kunliardt, P]sq., presented to the Board 
of Commissioners twelve of the beautiful swans for which that 
city has long been famous, offering at the same time to send 
them to this port free of all expense of transportation. Mr. 
E. M. Blatchford, at that time President of the Board, acce})te<l 
the generous offer with the cordial thanks, not only of the Com- 
missioners, but of the whole city ; and a few weeks after the 
birds arrived in safety, in charge of a person sent out at the 
expense of the City of Hamburgh, with orders to remain until 
they were thoroughly domesticated ; tlie owner of the steamer 
that brought him over having volunteered in the most praise- 
worthy spirit both to see that every thing in the powei* of her 
officers was done to insure the safe transportation of the swaiis, 
and to give a free passage home to the person having them in 
his charge. The birds were placed in th(^ Laki>, and for a time 
seemed to thrive, but in a few weeks nine of them had died, 



60 



DESCRIPTION or THE 



I'rom a])0]»lexy as was afterward pi'oved, tliongli at first it was 
suspected tliey had been poisoned. The City of Hand)urgh, as 
soon as it was informed through its consul of the deatli of the 
swans, presented tlie Commissioners with ten more ; and R AV. 
Kennard, Esq., M. P., an esteemed Englishman, at that time 
living in New York, having infoi'med the Worshipful Company 
of Vintners, and the Worshipful Company of Dyers, in the City 
oi' London, of the loss the citizens of New York had sustained, 
the former of these companies sent over twelve pairs, and the 
latter thirteen pairs, which reached America in safety and were 
placed upon the Lake. In the report for 1862, it was announced 
that out of the original seventy-two twenty-eight had died, but 
since that time no additional deaths have been reported. Li the 
report for 18G6 the number living is stated to be fifty-one, and 
in the last report, for 1807, the fomily counts sixty-four, showing 

an increase of twenty in five 
years, from which we may 
be encouraged to hope that 
these beautiful aristocrats have 
learned to accommodate them- 
selves to our trving climate 
and to our democratic institu- 
tions. Beside the white swans 
there are two trumpeter swans, 
who also have bred during the 
past year. There is hardly a 
prettier sight to be seen than 
that of the female swan sail- 
ing about with her cygnets. 
The mother-bird assists the 
little blue-gray youngsters to 

SWAN-EEST ON LAKE. O ^' . O 

iiiount her back, either bv 
sinking so low in the w^ater that they can climb up without diffi- 




X I-; A\' Y () R K C K N T R A L PARK. 



61 



cultv, or else ])uts out one of her legs and makes a step for 
tlieiii. She then raises her wings, and arclies Lack her neck, 
and thus makes a most comfortable slielter, impervious to tlie 
wind, in wliicli the l)al)y swans sit at tlieir ease, or sleep, or look 
out i\pon the landscape, and, no doubt, tliink the most sweet and 
innocent thoughts. 

The Park swans are very tame, and will come to the shore 
at a call to feed from any hand, although we believe the Com- 
missioners do not like to have them led in tins way. As is 
well known, the\' are a greedy bird, and in tlieir native habi-. 
tat, or in })onds and rivers where they are domesticated, they 




BOAT HOUSE NEAR OAK liKIPOE. 



prey upon fish, and upon the eggs of fish, to such an extent as 
to make themselves the terror and the pest of enthusiastic anglers. 



62 



DESCRIPTION OF THE 



Wood, in liis Natural History, quotes one of this class as burst- 
ing into an agonj of depreciation and throwing grammar to the 
winds : — " There never was no manner of doubt about the dread- 
ful mischief the swans do ! The}- eats up the spawn of every 
kind of iish till they have filled out their bai>:s, and then on to 
shore they goes, to sleep off their tuck out, and then at it again!" 

As will be seen by the Plan, the Lake is of considerable size, 
and extends very nearly across tlie Pork. It is divided into two 
parts, quite distinct in their character, by the Bow Bridge, as it 
is called, a gracelul structure of iron crossing tlie Lake at its 
narrowest point by a span of eighty-seven feet and a third, and 
at a lieiglit aboye the surfoce of nine feet and a half With the 
exception of the floor, which is, of course, of wood, it is made 
entirely of wrought iron, resting on two abutments of stone, one 
of the ends being placed upon cannon-balls, in order to allow 
for the necessary expansion and contraction with heat and cold. 




BOW BRinilE FROM LAKE. 



At the ends of the lu'idge, over the abutments, are placed iron 
vases, which, in summer, are kept filled with floweiing plants, 
and it is not without reason that this is generally considered as 



N 1'; W Y ( ) R K (J 1<: N THAI- I ' A li K . 



63 



tlie luindsonu'st of all tlic hridgcvs in the Park. J'last of it tlu^ 
Lake is, |»ei'liaps, the more attraetive. On one side is the 
Terrace, with its beautii'ul architecture, and gay crowds of 
liappy, well-dressed people, its stream of carriages passing o\'er 
the Terrace bridge, or stopping there to listen to the l)and, and' 
along the shore the painted boats taking and discharging tlieir 
loads. On the other is the kill-side called the Ramble, witk its 
cheerful scenery in summer-time, and its blaze of colors in tke 
autumn season. Tke portion of the Lake that lies beyond the 
Bow Bridge, to the west, is muck larger, and presents less variety, 
but, to many, it will be more ])leasing on tkat account. Here 
boys may fancy themselves at sea, and hope, by some lucky 
accident, to taste tke terrors of skipwreck. Here tliere are some- 
times waves, and tkere is certainly an actual beack, wdiere snck 
waves as tkere may kappen to be may dask tkemselves in break- 
ers. One of the main drives that starts from the gate-way at tke 
corner of the Eigktk Avenue and Fifty-nintk Street, skirts tke 




VIEW OF LAKE LOOKING SOFTH. 



Lake on its western side, and, as it necessarily passes very near 
tke boundary of tke Park at tliis point, the aim in planting has 
been to slmt otf the P'ighth Avenue and open up the Lake, ami 



(J_l. DESCKIPTIOX OF THE 

when the trees and shrubs are fully grown it will be found that 
this has been accomplished as far as it is possible to do it. The 
visitor will then find himself shut in, on one side by a belt of 
verdure, while on the other, his eye will be irresistibly attracted 
to the shining levels of the Lake, where, in the summer-time, 
the darting boats, and gliding swans, and groups of children on 
the shore, will make a bright and cheerful picture ; and no less 
gay in Avinter will be the thronging crowds of skaters, from early 
morning till late at night, under the Ijrilliant moon or the more 
brilliant calcium light. 

The Lake is the principal field for skatei's in the Park, al- 
though the Pond near Fifty-ninth Street is much used, and, in 
course of time, Harlem Lake, at the northern end, will become 
an equally favorite resort for citizens living in its neighborhood.* 
The teachings of Dr. Dio Lew^s, and other earnest advocates of 
physical education, about ten years ago, had given a great im- 
petus to open-air sj^orts and athletic games in Boston and its 
vicinity, and a similar interest had been awakened in Philadel- 
phia. In New York, Mrs. Plumb had established her excellent 
gymnasium for women, but our city was far less advantageously 
situated than Boston for sports and exercises that required ample 
out-of-door space for their full enjoyment. The exercise was good, 
but it failed of its full effect in restoring or maintaining health 
when it had to be taken in the house. Both Boston and Phila- 
delphia had the great advantage over New York, of possessing, 



* The miinber of days in which there was skating iu 18G1-G2. . . .50 
" '• " 1864-65 50 



1866-67. . 


. .39 


1859-60.. 


. .36 


1865-66. . 


. .28 


1860-61. . 


. .27 


1863-64.. 


..24 


1858-59. . 


. .19 


1862-63.. 


. . 6 



N E AV Y O R K C K N T R A i. 1^ A 1! Iv 



Go 



either witliiu tlicir l)()iiii(laries, or in tlicii' imiiuHliato vicinity, 
abundant room lor any exercise that might be in fashion. Bos- 
ton Common liad, for many years, given tlie city boys a central 
and convenient place Ibi' ]>hiy with sh^ls, and the Frog-]^)lld, 
with the excellent ponds within easy access of the city, had 
enabled everj'body who wished it to get a taste of skating dnr- 




BOW DRIDGE FI'.dM BEA( II. 



ing the season ; while, in Philadelphia, the Schnylkill afforded 
an incom])arable field for this latter exercise, of which hundreds 
liad availe<l themselves every winter for many years, and, later, 
as the s})ort became more fashionable, and skaters counted by 
thousands rather than by hundreds, the river was ready with 
room and to spare for all who chose to come. 

But New York liad no place near or flir-otf where open- 
air exercise could be obtained, and, as for skating, it had be- 
come an almost forgotten art. That it should be utterly forgotten 
was, of course, not to be believed, because skating must be sup- 
posed to be a princi})le in Dutch blood, and experience has 
since proved that in this instance, as in many otliers, nature, 
although driven out with a fork, returns in full force at the 



m 



DERCRIPTION OF TIIR 




lirst ()p]K)rtiiiuty. Wl)cn tlie New York bovs and girls lieard 
of tlie zenl witli which their brothers and sisters in Boston and 
Philadelphia were flying over the face of the earth on skates, 

they were moved with envy 

^_. and emulntion, and in defanlt 

of frozen lakes and rivers, 
they fastened skates with 
wheels instead of sharpened 
steel to their feet, and careered 
over the flagged sidewalks and 
over parlor floors, with the 
laudable determination to en- 
joy skating in imagination if 
they conld not in reality. 
On the whole, it resembled 
tlie real thing ab(^ut us nearly 
as the marchioness's orange- 
peel and water did wine. " If 
you shut your eyes very tight," said that young person to Mr. 
Dick Swiveller, "and make believe very hard, you really would 
almost think it was wine." And perhaps young New York 
might have gone on making believe very hard that skating on 
wheels was as good as skating on skates, if the Commissioners 
had not asked them all to come up to the Park and try the real 
thing. 

In their tenth report (1866), tlie Commissioners claim, and, 
no doubt, rightly, that the facilities for skating so freely oflered 
by the Central Park, have set the fashion to New York and 
all the neighboring region. There had always been, every win- 
ter, more or less ice accessible to the rougher part of the popula- 
tion, and even to more fastidious people, who were willing to 
go in search of it. P>ut there was nowhere to be found ice tliat 
was kept in good condition for skating the whole season through, 



LAKE VTEW. 



N E W Y 11 K C K X T R A L P A R K . 67 

that was cleared of new- {'alien snow, and Hooded after a thaw, 
or after the feet of liundreds had destroyed its sni-face. No pri- 
vate person or company had yet been f()Uiid wilHng to risk the 
money whieli such an enterprise would call for, and, indeed, no 
one had even suggested that such an enterjirise was called for, 
or was even possible. But no sooner had the first winter's trial 
at the Central Park proved the perfect feasibility of tlic under- 
taking than pi'ivate subscription ponds were formed in every 
direction. In the city they were mostly in the neighborliood 
of the Park, and were made Ijy flooding the sunken lots whicli 
so abound in that region. These were then boarded np in order 
to prevent indiscriminate access, and rougli Inuldings were put 
np near the entrance, to accommodate the visitors, who were all 
cither subscribers for the season, or paid a fee for each, admis- 
sion. At night these private jionds, like those of the Central 
Park, were illuminated by calcium lights, and they were some- 
times supplied with music, which the Park was not. They 
drew off, of course, a great many visitors from the Park skating 
grounds, then chiefly of the wealthy, and many ladies and young 
children; but this was by no means undesirable, since the skat- 
ing grounds of the Park have always been, from the beginning, 
overcrowded. Nor were these small city ponds the only ones 
that were established to meet the new-lbund want. In Brook- 
lyn, in IToboken, along the line of the Harlem and New Haven 
Railroads, ponds were advertised, and vied with one another ia 
the attractions tljey held out to skaters. Masquerades were held 
upon the ice ; concerts were given ; fireworks were displayed ; 
and for a time there was an active competition. But, as will 
be seen by the table, our changeable climate makes the specula- 
tion a too uncertain one to be relied upon l()r making money. 
In nine years it will be seen that the numlxn- of skating days 
has varied all the way from six to hit}', and there were only 
two years in the nine when there have been so many as lift}*. 



68 DESCRIPTION OF THE 

Of course this luicertaintv makes the risk too great to be run 
witli impunitv, and onl}^ persons owning, or having riglit in, 
large natural pontis can afford to continue these enterprises. 
Beside, the sunken lots are ra})idly being built up, and it will 
not be long before they will disappear altogether. With the 
Park skating grounds it is quite different. It requires no ad- 
ditional staff of workmen to keep the ice in condition through 
the season, nor any addition to the police force to maintain order. 
The ponds are there, and the arrangements for flooding them are 
simple and always on hand, and whatever expense — never very 
great — is incurred to provide skating, is for the public service, 
and makes an item in the annual budget. Nor can the pleasure 
that is given to so many thousands, and the health and strength 
they gain, be reckoned in money. 

While we are npon this subject it maj- be worth wdiile to 
notice the fact, that with the increased opportunities for skating 
has come a steady improvement in the skates that are yearly 
offered for sale. Skaters are now as much exercised over the 
shape and material of their instrument as horseback riders are 
over their saddles, and cricket-players over their bats and balls. 
If a countryman should appear to-day upon the ground, proud 
in the possession of a pair of fine old skates, inherited from his 
grandfather, with their double-gutters, multiplied straps, and ends 
curling up over the instep like the proboscis of some gigantic 
butterfly, we shudder to think of the persecution of inquisitive 
commentary to which he would subject himself The little boys 
who officiate as skate-strappers would sit in awful judgment upon 
him. The ladies would pierce him througli and through with 
glances of playful scorn, and he would learn by sad experience 
how soon the fashion of this world passeth away. 

The northern end of the western division of the Lake is 
reserved for the use of ladies who come to skate, although they 
are free to go anywhere they may please. But it was thought 



NEW YORK (MONTR A L PARK. 



09 



best to reserve a place for the more timid and delicate ones, 
and lor those, also, who are Just hegiiining to })ractise. The 



:M 




LADIES SKATINO POND. 



Ladies' Pond is much frequented, but the men are bj no means 
on that account left to the enjoyment of the rest of the Lake in 
selfish exclusiveness. Ilere, as in so mauA' departments of our 
modern social life, woman competes with man on ground in 
which he had indulged the absurd fancy that he was without 
a rival, and, in spite of all his efforts, either carries off the 
palm or fairly divides the victory. 

Our Scotch fellow-citizens too have found a use for tlu^ Lake 
in winter, and the curling club have introduced here their manly 
and graceful national game. Some of our readers may remem- 
ber Mr. J. G. Brown's capital })ortrait picture of the mend)ers 
of this club, called "Curling, Central Park," in the Academy 
exhibition of 1863. 



'0 



D 1-: .S C H I P T I N F T H E 



The carriage-road tliat skirts tlie western side of tlie Lake 
crosses, near Seventy-seventh Street, a narrow strait leading from 
the main water into a small pond close to the Eighth Avenue. 




The bridge hy whicli the drive is curried over this connecting 
stream is called the Balcony Bridge, li'om the two projecting 
Ijalconies with stone seats, formed by corbelling out the piers. 
These are pleasant places in which to sit and overlook the Lake, 
and, architecturally, this bridge is one of the handsomest in the 
Park. One of our cuts shows the view looking toward Balcony 
Bridge Ji'om the beach; the one a little farther on shows the 
bridge from tlie western side, wliich has no balconies, since the 
view^ on that side is so Imiited as to make them hardly necessary. 
Betarning to the Terrace for a fresh start, we ascend the steps 
at the right hand from tlie lower plaza to the upper, and stop 
for a moment to look at the bi'onze statue of the tigress which 
has been recently presented to the Park by a few American 
gentlemen temporarily residing in Europe. Tlie statue will be 
found on a little slo])e west of the Terrace and very near it. 



N K W Y O 1^, K C E X T R A L PARK. 



71 



111 ascending to it we may notice at the right hand the two 
specimens of the ''Great Tree" of California {mjuoi<i.. gigantcd^^ 
both of which a})pear to be tliriving wcsll ; and near the snmmit 







BALCONY niunGE. 



of the knoll are two well-grown specimens of the Japanese sacred 
tree, the Ginkgo, or maiden-hair {saJi^huria adiantifollu\ which 
has been a rare tree in this country until within a very few 
years. For a long time the only specimens in this part of 
America Avere the original plants at The Woodlands, formerly 
the seat of Alexander Hamilton, Illsq., near Philadelpliia, by 
whom it was first introduced into this country, in 1784; those 
in the old Bartram Garden, near Philadelphia; one that stood 
on Boston Common, and still stands there, if the climate 
have not proved too severe for it; and. finally, a specimen at 
Pierce's Park, near Westchester, Penns)dvania. It has long- 
been a puzzle to botanists, who have been unable to classify it, 



72 1)P]SCRIPTI0N OF THE 

but Mr. Josiali Iloopes, in bis recently pnblislied and -very val- 
uable "Book of Evergreens," places it among the Conifene on 
the strength of its frnit, which he says settles the question. It 
is a verv rapid growing tree, is exceedingly elegant in its shape 
and in its foliage, and when these specimens in the Park once 
assume a sufficient size to attract general attention, wc shall 
hope to see the Ginkgo become as familiar a denizen of our 
gardens as are so many plants and trees of China and Japan. 




BALCONY BRIDGE FROM THE BEACH. 



It has been several times proposed to establish in the Park 
an Arboretum, or a Botanical Garden, and the notion is not a 
bad one, or would not Ije, if the Park were two or three times 
as large as it is. But, to our thinking, it is quite as agreeable 
a way of studying the diflFerent varieties of plants, and trees, 
and flowers, to find them scattered over the whole Park, as 
it would be to have them planted more ■ scientifically in rows 
and squares, as for convenience of classification and reference 
they must be in a botanic garden. For our part, we like to 
come u|)on these pretty strangers unawares ; to catch them, as 
it were, off their guard, ratlier than to go through tlie for- 
malities of an introduction — 



N K ^V Y ( ) 11 K (' E X T 1! A I, P A I! K . 73 

■• in arbors elijit anil cut. 
And alleys, I'aded jilaccs. 

B}^ Hqiiarcs of Ircipic summer sluil 
And warmed in crystal cases.'' 

Tlic limits oi' llie Piirk aiv, ;it best, so narrow tliat it seems 
a pity to make tlicm seem still more contracted by dividing 
the space into districts or departments, especially into such 
formal ones as all strictly scientiiic collections make necessary. 
Eather, in tliis particnlar case, make the whole Park a botani- 
cal garden, giving each plant as far as possible, its native habitat 
and surroundings, and fixing near it, in a quiet, informal way, 
a label with its name. The scientific man and the poet can 
then enjoy it, each in his own way. 

On the summit of the slight eminence to which we have 
ascended, chatting about trees, we find the bronze statue of 
the tigress l)ringing food to her cubs, which we came to see. 
It is the })roduction of the celebrated Auguste Caine, and was 
cast in bronze by the equally distinguished F. Barbadienne, 
whose magnificent enamels were without a rival in the recent 
Exposition, at Paris. This bronze was presented to the Park 
in 1867, in a letter to A. II. Greene, Esq., the Comptroller, 
by twelve gentlemen, citizens of New York. It is six feet 
high and seven and half feet in length, and stands, at present, 
u])on a temporary pedestal of wood. We cannot agree with 
those who think such figures as this of the Tigress, and that 
of the Eagles bringing their prey to their young, particularly 
suitable to the Park. They are, both of them, fine and spirited 
works of their kind, but they are much better suited to a zoo 
logical garden than to a })lace like the Park, for the ideas they 
inspire do not belong to the tranquil, rural beauty of the Park 
scenery. They are not, to our thinking, a whit mon^ appro- 
priate than the funeral monuments would be which the Com- 
missioners so wisely and absolutely refuse to admit. Indeed, 

10 



74 



DESCRIPTION OF THE 



if it were not lor the sake of establishing a dangerous })rece- 
dent, it might be far less objectionable to admit some funeral 
monuments that one might name than to give room to these 




THE TIGIiESS. 



savage subjects. There have been glorious deaths — fit endings 
to noble lives — whose records could only inspire high and cheer- 
ful thoughts, fitted to any sceue in nature, however beautiful or 
grand; but sculjiture of the class to which the pieces we have 
mentioned belong, has little that is elevating in its tendency. 
They are simply records of carnage and ra}iine, and however 
masterly the execution, or however proiinuid tlie scientiiic ob- 
S(.'r\-ation they dis]»Iay, they are apart from the purpose of nol)le 
art, whose aim is to lift the s])irit of man to a higher region and 
feed him with o-rander thoughts. 



N 10 W Y () 11 K K N T U A L 1' A UK. ' 75 

There is 110 one anionic' the many (hllieiilt subjects ahnost 
chiilv presented to tlie Park anthoi'ities for cousidenitioii, more 
(lillieult than tlie limit to l)e placed to the admission of sculpture 
into the ]'ark. To persons who lia\e not given much thought 
to the uiatter it uiay seem that tlie easiest, and also the wisest, 
thing the Coiumissioners could do, would he to take every piece 
of statuary that is offered them, that has any merit whatever, and 
lind a ])lace lor it somewhere in the Park. But to this the Com- 
missioners very projK'i'ly, as it appears to us, demur. In the first 
])lace, they do not want any statuary at all, unless it is the best 
that can be produced. Looking upon the Park as they do, not 
merely as a })lace of amusement, but as a |)lace of education, 
they have always ct)nsidered it a matter of conscience to ex- 
cUide every thing that falls short of tlie standard they have 
proposed to themselves. It may be very difficult to get good 
statuary; they may have to wait a long time for it; but they 
cannot see in either of these suppositions any argument for 
})ermitting the precedent of })laeing second-rate or indifferent 
works of art in the Park until the good works shall arrive. 
The Commissioners were probably not much delighted at the 
prospect of having a statue of Shakspeare in the Park, for it 
was extremely unlikely tliat a good one could be procured. 
Probably no living sculptor could have succeeded better — wc 
do not know one who could have succeeded so well — as Mr. 
Ward has done, but the difficulty of the task is so immeasur- 
able that to have succeeded at all is something both the artist 
and the public must be congratulated upon. Even such small 
matters as the l)ust of Schiller and the Bronze Eagles (although 
the latter is, as we have said, not inapprojoriate to the zoologi- 
cal garden), must have placed the Commissioners in something 
of a dilemma. On \]\c one hand, thev could not, without oifencc, 
decline the gifts — it seems to be a, settled principle to accept the 
smallest favors, from the skeleton of a negro to a copper medal 



7t) 



DPJSC lU PTI UN OF TIIK 



advertising a soda-ioinitaiii manufacturer- — and on the otLer, tliey 
eould not l)ut feel tliat the gifts themselves were nc^t particuhirly 
(lesiral)le possessions. In time it is to be hoped that the pride 




nUST OF SCHILLER. 



of the Germans in their second great national poet will lead them 
to re|)lace the present very imsatisfactorv memorial of him with 
a worthy statue; and in time it will also be easy to remove the 
spirited bronze of the "Eagles Devouring their Prey" to a more 
suitable place in the Zoological Garden, but it must be evident 
that the Commissioners cannot be always accepting costly, if not 
valuable gifts, which they are obliged to get rid of, or to dis- 
pose of in some way, however inconvenient. Tliey are, there- 
fore, obliged to be very chary in accepting gifts, by no means 



XKW YORK (n'INTHAL PARK. 77 

rca(l\' to cMi('()Ui";i_i;(' tlicni, iiiul lo iiiaiiilaiii an iii(lc|)Ciideiit atti- 
tude to those who olTer tliciii. l^'or it is a trait observed in all 
pcn^soiis wlio eoiiie to the Paik with ^ijil'ts in their liands that, 
with I'ai'e exeeptious, they consider themselves as placing, not 
the Park alone, hiit the whoU' l)odv of citizens, under great 
obligations, and they think the least that can be done to show 
a proper sense of that obligation is, to give their s])ecial gifts 
the most conspicuous })laee that can be selected. These de- 
mands have, no doubt, often placed the Commissioners in a 
))Osition of great difiiculty, and yet they arc obliged to meet 
the responsibility, and settle the matter in the best way they 
can, with an eye solely to the interests of the Park. Thus far 
there has, not been a single piece of statuary presented to the 
Park and jdaced in it that it is at all desirable to have there. The 
statue of Commerce, presented in 1865, by Stephen B. Guion, 
Esq., a native of New York long resident in Liverpool, is a 
mere commonplace eml)lematic figure, sucli as are all the time 
being produced in French studios, but which have yery little 
meaning or interest for the great mass of people, and for artists 
none at all of either. Yet, what are the Commissioners to do? 
A much respected gentleman, animated by a praiseworthy desire 
to do something for the adornment of his native city, orders this 
statue from Fesquet — a clever French statuary — and in the quiet- 
est, most modest way possible, presents it to the Park, without 
imposing any conditions, without asking for any particular site, 
without even attaching his name to the gift. It certainly is yery 
much to be wdshed that the respected donor had given us some- 
thing else; that he had ordered, for instance, Quincy Ward to 
put his Indian Hunter into bronze, or had given a connnission 
to Story, or to Brown, or to Launt Thompson; but, as he did 
not do any of these things, w^c must make the most of the gift 
he has ])resented. It has accordingly been })laced near the en- 
trance at the southwestern angle of the Park — Eighth Avenue 



78 



D E S C R I P T I N () F T II E 



aiicl Fifty-niiitli Street — where will one day be the JMerchaiits' 
Gate, and among the emblems that will find an appropriate place 
iu the architecture of this gate, })erhaps the statue of Commerce 




STATUE OK COMMKRCE. 



may occupy a conspicuous position. Just at present it stands 
entirely unrelated to any thing that surrounds it, and no statue 
so situated can possibly be iairly judged. 

To the bronze figure of the Tigress we have already alluded. 
It is nndoubtedly a work of merit in its way, belonging to a 
class of scul])ture far removed from tlie heroic or the ideal, and 
only calculated to give a transient and not elevated pleasure. 



X 1'] W Y < ) i; K V V. N T R A li P A R K . "9 

With tlu> purpose \\\c nrcliitccls Imvc Imd in \i('\\' in tlic coii- 
structiou of tlie Terrace it would not have been possible, with- 
out inconsistency, to give this statue a conspicuous place in rela- 
tion to the Terrace, and indec^l it is not easy to see Avhereabouts 
ill the Park it can be conspicuously placed at all. Tt has, thei'C- 
Idre, been set up in a secluded spot, sliut oil" from rr(>niM'al 
observation by a screen of trees, and while j)lace(l so that who- 
ever chooses to seek it can sec thoroughly well all that there is 
of it, it does not in the least interfere wdth the artistic arrange- 
ment of the Terrace and its surroundings. But its proper place 
is not here at all ; it is, as we have said, in the Zoological Garden, 
of which it would make a very attractive and a])pro])riate orna- 
ment. 

It will l)e seen, then, that the whole subject of sculpture in 
the Park is beset with clifiiculties, and that the Commissioners have 
more than any mere personal interests, whether of their own or of 
other people, to consult. For, apart from the question of gootl 
or bad sculpture, is the problem how to limit its introduction to 
such a point that it shall not detract from the a})parent size of 
the Park ; a most serious consideration. Man}^ of our readers 
must have had the op]3ortunity of observing how quickly the 
apparent size of a garden is reduced by the introduction of statu- 
ary, which it was at one time the fashion to use much more freely 
than has been done since the ''natural style'' of gardening came 
into vogue. Not only is the area of the garden or lawn so orna- 
mented diminished to the eye, but walks and roads along which 
statuary is placed are visibly shortened. Both these ficts ai"e no 
less facts for being optical delusions, which are the result of a 
well-known natural law. They are delusions eonstantly taken 
into account in decorati\e design, and cannot safely be n(\2"- 
leeted. Their l)earing on the ([uestion ol' tlie Park is ]>hiiu. 
The area of the Park, however large it may sound when stated 
to the ear, or however it may seem on paper, is in proportion 



80 D E S C R I P T I N F T II K 

to tlie population that is to use it, bv no means so large as it 
seems to the superiicial observer. And this process must con- 
tinue ; the Park growing sensibly smaller ami smaller with every 
conspicuous object that is placed in it giving the eje a means 
of measurement, until, at length, its real dimensions cannot any 
longer be concealed. Any visitor to the Park who chooses to ob- 
serve, can see this process going on everywhere within its limits. 
Every summer-house that is built on rising ground, the new Spa, 
the ugly gate-houses of the Reservoir — another feat in ornamental 
archite(;ture of our friends, the engineers — the Children's Shelter, 
the Belvidere that is to be — each of these structures draws the 
eye to itself from a distance, and suggests a limit, a bound. This 
would be all very well if the distances in tlie Park were really 
grand, if calling attention to a limit was equivalent to sayin.g, 
"see, how far!" But when the unfortunate shape of the Park 
is considered, its narrowness, which no amount of ])lanting, how- 
ever judiciously done, can ever hope to make entirely forgotten; 
its pronounced division into two parts, a defect only to be made 
the best of, not to be got rid of; it will be seen that the one thing 
to be avoided, is the calling attention to limits which can only 
mean, " see, how near !"' And when we have thoroughly under- 
stood the serious nature of the problem thus presented to the 
Commissioners, we shall appreciate the force of their objection to 
nndti})lying statues, and not merely statues, but objects of any 
kind tliat do not serve some necessary purpose, oi' tliat do not 
tend to assist, l)ut rather interfere with, their plans for the deco- 
ration of the Park on the highest artistic principles. 

We imagine that under any circumstances, even if the l^ark 
were a great deal larger tlian it is, the truest taste would dictate 
that there should be as few artificial oljijects in it as possible. 
Tlie charm of the Park ought to consist cliiefly in its broad 
stretches of green grass, its lakes, and pools, and streams, its fine 
trees, its shrubs and abundant i]ow(^rs. and the skv that over- 



N I'] W Y O R K C E X T R A L 1' A R K . 81 

arclies and encloses all. Those who are all the week "in popu- 
lous eity pent,"' see in their daily walks enouii'h architecture and 
enough statuary; enough, and more than enough, of all that is 
artiticial, and lar too little of natural beauty. The best archi- 
tecture and, indeed, the best art of what''\(M' kind, can lu'ver l)e 
fully aj)prcciated or enjoyed by those who have no lamiliarity 
with nature. The Park is only a blessing and a means of educa- 
tion, in proportion as it gives an opportunity to irien, women, 
and children to become unconsciously familiar with the large 
ti'aits of earth and sky. And no substantial good is done by 
crowding the prospect with what are called works of art. For 
if it be true, as our ])oet has sung, — 

— ''no mountain e;in 
Measure with a perfect man." 

it is also true that no material work of man can measure with 
a mountain ; nature gives us the scale by which to gauge every 
creation of art. And we are sure that a great deal of the petty 
and narrow criticism of the day would be enlarged, grow higher 
and broader, if it were written under the sky rather than under 
a roof And our art would grow also, if both those who pro- 
duce it, and those for whom it is produced, lived in greater 
familiarity with nature. The great danger is, lest the Park 
should come to be looked n])on merely as a place wherein are 
collected a large number of curious and rai'e, or pretty things, 
which would, it is true, be a recommendation to a museum, or 
to a garden of plants or animals, but is not proper to a ])ark. 
A park is a place of rest and recreation for mind and body ; and 
while nature soothes and tranquillizes the mind, and thus gives 
the body that repose it needs, a number of petty objects, merely 
curious or pleasing, distracts the thoughts and frets the nerves. 
Of course, in a large public place, many tastes must be consid- 
ered, and many wants ministered to. and we make no objections 



82 



DESCRIPTION OF THE 



to a riclily adorned centre, sucli as is proposed in the Terrace, 
where ample room is provided for all the really worthy works 
of art that are likely to be produced here in a hundred ' years ; 
but we plead for the preservation, as far as possible, of largeness 




BIKD CAGE. 



and simplicity, for the greatest amount of unobstructed lawn, for 
trees, and shridjbery, and flowers ; for lakes and streams ; in 
short, for as much of nature as we can get for money, and for 
a very little art, and that only of the choicest and best. 

But, lest the reader should think we have brought him up 



X ]-: A\' Y R K C E N T R A L PA R K 



83 



this pretty hillock, not so uiuch to see the statue of the Tigress 
as to hear a lecture, we oti'er him our convoy down again and 
across the plaza to the Casino, or Ladies' Refreshment House, 
where, as that intended for gentlemen is not yet built, we must 



. .Jix^rVVvV -^ 




T^ T 







imiXKISG FOUNTAIN'. 



content ourselves with whatever airy food is provided for the 
gentler sex. On our way thither we stop for a moment to 
watch the play of the two fountains, or of the birds in their 
gilded cages, or to drink from one of these elegant basins of 
bronze and polished granite, whose never-fiiiling streams of iced 
water arc in such constant demand through the long summer 
days. But wc may all drink our (ill, for the great reservoirs 



1^4 1^ KSCRI PT lOX OF T 11 K 

voiidcr iirc our iuexliaustible fisterns, and beneatli our feet are 
deep pits tilled with blocks of ice, over wliicli tlie water flows 
before it tails into these cool basins. 

The fountains on the plaza are extremely pretty, and curious 
beside. There has been no attempt to show us large streams ol 
water rising to a great height. Such jets would not l^e suitable 
to this situation, for one reason among others, that the area of 
the plaza is not very large, and, as it is often filled with people, 
the wind blowing the spray about, woidd produce a good deal 
of discomfort. These lighter and more graceful fountains liave 
therefore been introduced, and they are found to be equally in- 
teresting to grown philosophers as to children. They are in Ihct 
philosophical toys, and one of them, at least, ]iresents a prol)lem 
that has never A'et been satisfactorily solved. A little hollow 
ball of metal, perforated here and there over its whole surface 
with small holes, is seen to dance the whole day long u})on the 
end of a slender ])crpendicular jet of water. Nothing can be 
more graceful than the light balancing of this ball, and much 
debate does the lancy trifle give rise to among bearded men who 
are quite above all suspicion of being amused with the toy at 
which the merry circle of eager children clap their hands and 
laugh with unrestrained delight. The other fountains are on a 
different principle, allied, perhaps, to that which gives motion 
to the funiliar fl rework-wheels and serpents. Small jets are 
made of pieces of brass tubing variously curved, and radiating 
from a common centre with which they all communicate. One 
of these is set upon the end of the upright fountain pipe, and 
as soon as the water is let on it sets the wheel to spinning, and 
once in motion it continues to move until the water is drawn off. 
The principle once discovered is ca[)able of a great variety of 
applications, and a good deal of ingenuity has been shown in 
tlie devising of new jets. 

Lord Bacon, in his essay. "Of Crardens," speaks of these toy 



X V. \v Y o 11 K ( ' ]■: X T 1 { .\ r. i • .v i ; k . 85 

louiitaius as il' tliev were not mieonimoii in Ids time: — "xVnd ll)r 
line Devices, of Arching Water without Spilling, and Making 
it rise in severall Formes (of Feathers, Drinking Glasses, Cano- 
pies, and the Yikv) they be pretty things to lookc on, hut Nothing 
to Health and Sweetnesse." Tennyson, too, in his "Princess," 
published in 1S4S, thus sings of these toys: — 

'• For all tiie sloping pasture uiurruured sown 
"With happ\' faces and with holiday. 
Thero moved the multitude, a thousand heads : 
The patient leaders of their Institute 
Tauglit them with tacts. One reared a font of stone 
And drew, from l)Utts of water on the slope. 
The fountain of the moment, playing- now 
A twisted snake, and now a rain of pearls, 
Or steep-up spout whereon the gilded ball 
P:nieed like a wisp." 

At one end of the }>laza we see a number of light iron chairs 
piled up, and in charge of them a man who informs us that they 
are to be hired for a trifling sum by any one who wishes a seat. 
This is the system pursued al)road, as many of our readers will 
rememl)er, bvtt the admirable ])olice regulations of the Central 
Park do not permit the entrapping of unwary visitors that is 
practised in the London })arks— in the St. James', as we know 
b}" experience, and as we heard in others. In the St. James' 
Park the enterprising lessee sets seats about at various points 
removed from his main stand, and taking good care not to affix 
any sign or mark by which the stranger may know that they 
are ])rivate property, he tlien retires to his stand, and assuming 
a nonchalant or pre-occuj^ied air, watches with unremitting A-igi- 
lance the approach of his unconscious victim. That person being 
a rural Englishman or a tra\'elling American, seeing a chair 
agreeably |)lanted under a shady tree, seats himself carelessly in 
it, and draws out of his pocket a book to beguile the honr. No 
sooner has he become absorbed in his readino; than h(> is roused 



gg - P K S (" R 1 P T I X OF T H K 

by tlie presence of an unattractive man, wlio, grinning nialiciousl}", 
draws open liis coat in an ostentatious manner and displays a large 
l)adge on wbicli is inscribed the information that he is the owner 
of the chair on which the stranger is seated, and that he expects 
to be paid, then and thei'e, ibr the use of the same. The English 
or Continental visitor l;)eing used to varied and perpetual pay- 
ments exacted for any thing and every thing, at once complies 
with the demand and gets rid of the bore; but the annoyed Ameri- 
can, disgusted with the smallness of the sixpenny-extorting de- 
vice, is Quixotic enough to resist and argue. The infuriated 
spider, who has never before met with a remonstrating fly, coaxes, 
wheedles, blusters, swears, and threatens, l:»ut, being met with 
that serenity which always marks the demeanor of those who 
Vv'age war for 2:)rinciple, and finding that the penny for which he 
had so elaborately plotted shows no intention of emerging from 
the seclusion of its owner's pocket, he begins a warlike dance 
accompanied with the snapping of his fingers by way of casta- 
nets, iind, foaming Avith rage, proceeds to deny to that owner 
any right to the sacred name of gentleman. The last seen of 
him by the American as he quietly walks away, having given 
the sixpence to one of the million beggars who are always on 
the qui vice in London, and who are by no means always 
dressed in rags, he is dancing a series of pirouettes in front 
of the empty seat, that for the first time, perhaps, in his ex- 
perience, has failed to catch the expected prey. 

The Commissioners of the Central Park have wisely prevented 
the possibility of any such small but irritating annoyances as this 
within the limits of their jurisdiction. They would, doubtless, 
prefer that e^'crv thing in the Park should be freely enjoyed bj 
the yisitors ; but, since the means at their disposal do not permit 
this in all cases, they ha\'e done all that can be done to prevent 
any misunderstanding as to fees, and to make them so small 
that hardly any one need feel himself deprived of a simple 



X E Av Y II K ( ; i<; X t p. a l r a r k . 87 

pleasure l)y its cost. Vic suppose tliey Avonld he ,a;la(l to ex- 
ercise more coiiti'ol tliau is ])eniiitte(l thcni o\-ei' llie hacks that 
eai'i-y strangers roiiiul the Park, and this niav come in time; 
meauwhik^ they prevent the rapacity of llie drivers to tlu; ex- 
tent allowed them, and the stranger may he sure oi' hospitakle 
treatment Ircjm every one within tlie gates. A small cliargc is 
made for the nse of the boats on the Lake, and for the chairs — 
althongh these are an experiment, hardly adojited as yet for a 
jiermanence. Beside these and the ctuTiages, which do not be- 
l(jng to the Park, there is nothing except refreshments that the 
visitor may not freely enjoy. No shows of any kind are allowed 
on the Park grounds; no jugglers, gamljlers — except those dis- 
guised as gentlemen — pu})pet-shows, jiedlers of flowers, ])layers 
upon so-called^musical instruments, ballad-singers, nor hand-organ 
men; in fact none of the great army of small persecutors who tor- 
ment the outside W(n'ld, can enter into this pleasant ])lace to make 
us miserable in it. Nor is there to be found a guide in the whole 
Park. If you want to be directed, you can ask your way of a 
policeman, who would lose his place if he were known to take 
a fee. If you like to Ijc lost vou are at lil)ertv tc) do so, and 
every year a hundred or so little children exercise that precious 
privilege, and are returned to their tranquil parents without h)ss 
of time, and without expense to anybody. No one \v]\o has not 
been in England or on the Continent can know how gi'eat a l)less- 
ing it is to have got rid of that ubiquitous nuisance, a guide ; to 
l)e able to go where one wills; to see, or not to see; to sit and 
muse, to sit and read, without having superfluous advice thrust 
upon one, or being obliged to receive information ior which he 
has no natural apj^etite, and to hear questions answered that he 
has never asked. 

The Casino is a pretty domestic-looking little cottage, planled 
upon the rising ground east of the plaza, and d(>signed as a 
Ladies' House of Refreshment. There are two large rooms. 



88 



1) K S C 11 1 P T T X () F Til K 



one at eacli end, connected l>y a long a])artnient opening upon 
a central ]>iazza. Here one can procure almost any kind ot 
light refreshment, every tiling ])ro^-ided, as in ordinary restau- 



" '^rr ^ At ' 



,| \ ■ i^J 








, _ ^ jsf^'^iir-^ 







THE CASINO FROM THE EAST. 



rants, being at a fixed price clearly stated in the bill of fare. 
The visitor will, we dare say, Ije ])leased to. find that what has 
been judged most likelv to suit the delicate appetites of ladies 
is astonishingly like the sort of things the sterner sex delight 
in, and if he be a reasonable man, content with a very little 
provender for a good deal of money, he will easily be able to 
make a comfortable meal. Of course, the proprietor of this es- 
tablishment, as well as the head of the larger and more hotel- 
like restaurant of Mount St. Vincent, has mainly in view the 
making of money, and this is quite right, but the Commission- 
ers care only, as in duty l)ound. for the welfare and enjoyment 
of the public, and tliev li:i\'e therefore made it a c(Midition in 



X ]-; W Y (") R K C E X 'I' U AT, 1' A R K , 



89 



leasiuji' tlicsr placrs. lli;it llicy sluiil be at all times suLjcct to 
tlieir exaniiiiatiim ;iii<I ;qiju'<)\-al, tlie propi'ietoi'S ])eing, in a sort, 
tlieir agents, and lioniid 1o regnlalc tlieir establislunents in con- 
forinit}' witli tlie general ])i-iiuM|)l(\> of tl.'e V-Avk inanagenient, 
beside tlie more jKirticnlar conditions imposed in tlie lease. 
Thus, e\"erv episode of tlie Park is under the eoiiti'ol of one 
authority — that of the Commissioners — and no coiilliet is pos- 
sible betwetMi those a}>j)oiiitfd b\- the people to rule and regulate 
the Park, and the ])ersons who are, in elleet, employed by them U) 
assist in carrying out particuhir ]xarts of their general scheme. 




VIXEUY XKAR C'ASIXO, OVEIII.OOKIXG TIIF. MALI,. 



Th(^ Casino is immediattdy surrounded b}' trees and shrub- 
bery, except on one side where it looks out upon tlie Carriage 
Concourse, as it is called, a large rectangle of gravel, ajiproaehed 
by a short arm leading from the main eastern drive nearlv op- 
posite Seventieth Street. Here on everv musi<'-da\' will be found 
a circle of carriages, whose owners either sit in them listening 
lo the music in the ^[all that runs just l)elo\v t\)o hill, or eat 



90 



I) l>;S('lir]^T lOX OF THK 



creiiuis ;;ii(l ii-es in the Casiuo, or eiijov the pleasant shade oi 
the Yiiierv with its cheerful outlook upon the crowd tliat throngs 
the Mall, and roams or rests upon the broad stretches of the 
close-clipt lawns. This Vinerv, when the wisterias, honey- 
suckles, and roses that already make a liglit curtain over it. are 
fully grown, will he one of the pleasantest resting-places in tlie 



'vf,.' 



. ,^■^? 




Sl'ilMEIl IlnrsK NEAK II AM ILTliN Hyl'ARF. 



Park. When the light western breezes that refresh our summer 
twilight begin to spring up from the near-flowing river, no won- 
der that hither come- — 

■' iiKuiy a ]iMir of Iriunds. 
\\'lio, arm in ai'in. rnjciy lliu warm 
Moun-liirll',;^ and lln' Ioiil;' (.'\'i'iiiiiii'-(.'iiils.'' 

for few cities anv where ha\'e such a c'larming i)romenade. 



N E W A' R K (' l'] N T R A L P A R K . 



91 



Southeast ol' the (Casino, on a r()ck\- knoll very near the 
Fit'tli Avenue, is one of the many |)relt\- laistie snnnner-l.ouses 
that tempt the visitor to stoj) and rest in his walk. Tliis belongs 
to the elass of shelters rather than 1o that of the snnnuer-houscs 
propel", for the walk passes direetly throngh it and down the hill 
on the other side. A nnmber of well-grown oaks and willows, 
relies of the original \egetation. grow near it; and on the ground 
at the toot of the knoll, and, wherever it has l)een possible, in the 
shallow earth, that ecn'ers the knoll itself in ])laces, evergreens 
have been elosely planted, and have alreadv attained a con- 
siderable growth. B\' the tune the eitv fairlv reaehes this point 
in its mareh toward Harlem, this summer-house will be so shut 
off i'rom the view of j)assers in the street, alcove whieh. beside, it 
is elevated more than twenty feet, that ()ne can lind here almost 
as complete a seclusion, lor an hour's readnig or meditation, as 



« t 




OAKS NEAR ARSENAT., 



he could obtain in the centre of the Park itself, so judicious 
has been the planting, l)egun at the very earliest possible moment, 
and so |)romising the growth up to the ])resent time. 

Directly o))posite the knoll on which this sheltei- is placed. 



92 



DKSCRIPTIOX OF THE 



1)11 tlie opposite or east side of the Filili Avenue, is Hamilton 
Square, an open spaee belonging to the eity, and extending fri^ni the 
Fifth to tlie Fourth Avenue, lietween Sixtv-sixth and Sixty-eighth 
streets. It contains tifteen aci'es, and is thus of considerable size, 
having six niore acres than Washington Square, and live more 
than the Battery, the City Hall Park, or Tom})kins Scptare. 
Like all the squares belonging to the city, this is under the con- 
trol, not of the Central Park Commissioners, but of the Street 
Commissioner. an<l it will, therefore, be laid out prol)al)ly in the 
same homes})un wav that the others have been; but every such 
opening in the wall of houses that must some day surround the 




sl.-MMKr.-UorsE SOUTHEAST Of THE CASINO. 



Park is a welcome relief, and aids in producing something of the 
effect of irregularity of outline in which the Parle is unfortu- 
nately wanting. Hamilton Square is the only green bay (.)f 
this sort that relieves the monoton(_)us length of the Fifth Avenue 
along the whole line of the Park. xVrtistically, and, we have no 
donbt, linaneiallv, this is a "ivat mistake, and it is much to be 



NEW YORK CENTRAL PARK. ' 93 

desired tliat if llic o)K'iiini!' <>l' additioinil sijiiai'cs lie no louu-cr 
possible — c\c\\ \\\\('vo o]\o is so iiiiich needed as it is l)('tw(HMi 
Ei^ii'htv-iil'tli and Ninetv-S('\'('iil li streets, o])])osit(> \\\c. new Res- 
ervoir — ownei's ol' pro])ertv in that and in otliei' ([nailers \void<l, 
at least, see the ad\'antage, liotli to themselves and the ]inl)lie. 
of so ImildinLi' on dieir lots as to secnre all the Hii'lit and air 
possil)]e, with the additional attraction of grass and trees. This 
would be A"erv easily accomplished if the owners of the lots 
fonning the several blocks would combine to inake '"Terraces" 
or "'Crescents,"' as is so often donc^ in London, particnlai'ly in tlu? 
new and fashionable Westd-'hid, a sort of arrangement that adds 
greatly to the elegance of that juu-t of the city, and largidy in- 
creases the value of the property. Those of our readers who 
may not know just what we mean, Avill find an illustration in 
the familiar "London Terrace" on Twenty-third Street, between 
the Ninth and Tenth avenues, and also in the ai'rangement of 
the lots on tlie Fourth Avenne, between Seventeenth and Eight- 
eenth streets. The terraces in London ar(^ not exactly like these, 
and indeed they are by no means laid out on any one model, 
but thev almost all, we l)elieve, have a })rivate earriage-road 
and sidewalk running along close to the house-fronts, while the 
garden space, with its grass, and trees, and flowers, is between 
this ])rivate roadway and the public street. In the crescents— 
of winch, so far as we know, there is no example in anv of our 
Atlantic cities — this private road is an are of a circle, to which 
the honse-fronts corres})ond. The principle is the same in both, 
but perha})S in the minds of oiir New-Yorkers there might be 
an ol)jection to this |)artial seclusion which is the vei'v thing 
sought for in the London plan of terrace and crescent. In 
case tliis objection shoidd be felt, there nee<l be no pri\att' 
drive, but the house might be reached l)y the walk' li-om the 
gate on the ])ublic street througli tlie garden, as in the alread\' 
lamili;n" N(nv York exam|)les. 



94 D E S C R I P T I N OF THE 

But it ought, we tliiuk. to be evident that some sueh device 
as this must be adopted it' it is hoped to maintain the traditional 
elegance of the Fifth Avenue. In any case, the street is too 
uninterrupted in its length, and greatly lacks incident. As was 
\-erv well shown recently by Mr. Leopold Kidlitz, one of our 
most acconi})lished architects, there is no example of a line street 
anywhere in Europe that is also a very long street: — 'In Paris 
a boulevard or a street is rarely carried to a, length greater than 
two thousand feet, without being interrujjted bv a square, or 
changing its directiou. or terminating upon a })ark, or o})ening 
upon something other than itself" This applies directlv and 
forcibly to the Fifth Avenue as well as to Broadway, which 
Mr. Fidlit/ had more immediately in his mind when he wrote. 
Between Washington Square, where it begins, and the Central 
Park, tlie only break in the monotony of the Fifth Avenue oc- 
curs at Madison Square, where, beside, the intersection of the 
avenue with Broadway gives us the small triangular lot on 
which is placed the AVortli Monument. From this point again 
the a\-enue stretches to the Park, lined with a double row of 
houses, more remarkable for the evidence thev give oi' the dif- 
fusion of wealtli in the connnunity than for their ai'chitectural 
merit. It is now more than probable that the lower half of the 
avenue — between Washington Square and Twenty-tliird Street — 
will be given up to sho])s and stores, and that the etibrts in archi- 
tecture of the next generation will be made in the iq^per portion 
nearer to the Park and along its eastern line. The new Jewish 
synagogue, the new Pomish cathedral, with some of the latest 
private houses, tliat ol' !Mr. AEartiu, ibr instiuice, all point in 
this direction. But it is altogether likely that the wealth of 
the future wdl make its most splendid displays in the inune- 
diate vicinity of the Park, on tlie two avenues that bound it 
to the east and west, and it is therefore of the greatest impoi't- 
ance, as regards the beauty of this Aicinity, that some theory 



X I-; W Y I) 11 K (• !•; X T i! A L 1' A I{ K . 95 

()(■ l)iiil(lhi,u' slioiilil !)(' ;iilo}»tiHl at tlic outset tluit will })revciit 
the rcpi'ojH'li of iiiouotoiix' Ix'Uiii- brought against our citv in 
the Jul lire as it has been in tlie past. It is wnw too late, 
(loul)tless, to break up tlu^ formal arrangement of the streets 
in that j)art of the city that lies below (Jne-IIuM(b'(Mban(l-'rcntii 
Street, but a great deal mav yet l)e done to make that formality 
less offensively a|)parent. It does not concern us here to 
show how this can be accomplished in other ])arts of the 
city, nor to pro\e to owners of property that their reahestate 
would lose nothing in value by being less closely built upon; 
but it belongs strictly to our subject to remonstrate against the 
surrounding the Park itself with a close line of houses, however 
elegant and costly, even if every house were such a linished 
jewel-box as that recently built l)y Mr. Mould for Mr. Martin. 
Such a wall of brick and stone, broken at regular intervals 1)V 
streets, would be in the highest degree ineffective, and the drive 
along it would l)e wearisome and uninteresting, if lor no other 
reason, because of the want of balance between the two sides, 
all trees on the one, all masonry on the other. The arrange- 
ment that ought to be adopted at the outset, as it seems to us, 
is either that which we have alreadv proposed of terraces and 
crescents, or else a mixture of these with small open squares 
of the width of a single block, surrounded with low copings of 
stone, planted with gi'ass and trees, and open at all times to the 
peo})le, or, if they are [private propert}", then reserved like Gra- 
mercy, Stuyvesant. and the late St. John's, squares, for the use 
of the occupants of the surrounding houses. Devices like these, 
simple in execution, and paying i'or themselves by the greatlv 
increased xaluc thev would give to the ])roj)erty in their neigh- 
borhood, would effectually lighten up the sides of the avenues 
opposite the Park, and ])revent the monotony that is at })resent 
threatened. 

We suggest too, that such open squares as those we |)i'o|XJse 



9(J D R S n R I I' T I ( ) X O F T H K 

would be tlie most :i|»])r<)|>i'iate places lor the erection of the 
museuiiis of History, Art, Science, and Natural History that 
we inav not unreasonahly hope will one day redeem Kew York 
from the charge of being the worst provided city in this respect 
in the world in proportion to her size, and, we may add. in ])ro- 
portion to her municipal pretensions. Until she have them she 
can never be a great city in any true sense of the term. Want- 
ing these, she may be an overgrown Hamburg or Frankfort, but 
she can ne\-er be a London or a Paris. And, small as is the l»rog- 
ress that has been made at the present time in supplying the 
need of these things, there can be no doubt that we shall have 
them in time, or that, when they come, they will be worthy of 
the citv. It is too early to look for the establishment of insti- 
tutions of this kind, which spring up naturally only when certain 
material conditions of growth and wealth have been fullilled, 
and the culture that is the fruit of these has made considerable 
progress. But it will not do to wait too hmg before planting 
at least the seeds of these institutions in places favorable to 
their growth. The Astor Library, the Historical Society, the 
Academy of Design, the Society of Natural History, ought all 
to secure land near the Park, and to hold it for a term of 
years, even if this can be done in no other way than l)v putting 
up temporary dwellingdiou.ses, and leasing them until thev them- 
selves are in a condition to erect buildings suitable for their col- 
lections. Then if the idea of squares, similar to Hamilton Scjuare, 
opening upon the Park, here and there along its side, can be carried 
out, what admi]-al)le situations will thus be provided for the future 
institutions of literature, art, and science. For such societies do 
n(_)t need to have their homes on crowded and fashionable streets, 
but are best placed when, without being out of the wav, or diffi- 
cult of access, they are removed from noise and bustle, and the 
distraction of the outside world, and, Ijeside, can receive al)un- 
dant supplies of light and air from everv side. 
















,f>r':/ 






■i)i^.- 



K^ 



'4^ff&^. 























98 D E S C R I P T I X F T n E 

We liave already called attention to tlie fact that the 
carriage drive, which crosses the Terrace, forms a nearly direct 
communication between the Fifth and the Eighth avenues at 
Seventy-second Street. Tliese are the first points north of 
Fifty-ninth Street on either avenue where the Park can be 
entered. On the Eighth Avenue opposite Seventy-second Street 
is the Women's Gate, and on the Fifth Avenue opposite the 
same street is the Children's Gate. Entering then, at either 
of these gates, the visitor wdll find himself, after a short walk, 
or a few turns of the wheels, at a point where he strikes the 
main road running north and south, while the road by which 
he entered keeps due east or west. We have now reached this 
point, descending from the Casino, and as we have already seen 




SKATING WEST OF BOW BRIDGE. 



the Terrace, and neither wish to leave the Park at Seventy- 
second Street, nor to retrace our steps to the south, we will con- 



NEW YORK C E X T R A L 1' A R K . 99 

tinuc our drive toward the iiortli, and seek the rural beauty of 
the Ramble. 

The road at lir.st strikes inland, and sli(»rtlv skirts the east- 
ern end of the Lake. On our right the ground sinks sensibly 
in a shallov/ hollow, the bottom of whieh is some twelve feet 
below the level of the Lake itself. Here is a pretty piece of 
ornamental water, consisting of a large symmetrical basin with 
a border of cut stone, and with a fountain in the centre. This 
basin is tilled by the overflow of the Lake, and by whatever 
additional water is supplied from the drainage of the hollow in 
which it lies. This hollow, as will easily be seen by reference 
to the plan, is a contin notion of the second of the two de})res- 
sions which mark the lower half of the Park, and of \vhicli we 
have already spoken. Originally this was all a marsh, extend- 
ing completely across the entire tract of the Park land ; and in 
Mr. Yieles design tlie drainage was collected into three small 
and insignilicant pools connected by a running stream, two of 
them being on the site of the present Lake, and the other be- 
tween this ornamental water and the road leading from Seventy- 
second Street. No one can fail to sec that much more has been 
gained for the Park, both in beauty and utility, by the treat- 
ment of Messrs. Yaux and Olmsted. The drive at the east end 
of the Lake — where the readcn* is su|)posed to be at present — 
passes from one side of tliis hollow to the other, over a solid 
bridge of stone with a railing of gilded iron, and }>ierced with 
a trefoil-shaped archway for the accommodation of a foot-path 
leading to the ornamental water with its surrounding flower- 
beds. Thus the drive, at this point looks down upon two very 
different views. On the one side is the Lake, with the pretty 
verdure of the Pamblc on its north shore, the lower })laza of 
the Terrace on its south, the Bow Bridge far to the west, and 
its shining surface glinting with the flash of oars, or traced 
with silver furrows bv the slow-gliding swans; or, in the 



IQQ DESCRIPTION OF THE 

winter, gav with tlie merry grouj^s of skaters who stream from one 
division of tlie ]k)ii!1 to the other under the graceful arch of the 
Bow Bridge. On the other side we see the meadowdiollow, 
dotted witli trees and flowering slirnbs, and in the inidst tiie 
orntunental writer with its formal architectural l)order, in direct 
contrast to tlie irregular Lake witli its rocky and wooded juttings 
in and out, and this f(jrmality further empliasized by the par- 




THE DOVECOTE. 



terre, witli its set walks, and flowers in masses of color enclosed 
in geometric figures. On the extreme eastern edge of this 
gardendiollow it was once intended to place a conservatory 
of two stories lieight, to be entered from the Parle and from 
the Fifth Avenue, and the contract for building it was actually 
taken bv Messrs. Parsons & Co., of Flushini>\ Lonu: Island. 
But, just then, the war broke out, and this enterprise, with many 
others, was brought to a stand, and has never since been revived. 
This is much to be regretted, for the })lan was an excellent one, 
and the character of the gentlemen who })roposed to take charge 
of it was such as to be an ample guaranty that the undertaking 
would be in all respects well managed. The plan of the budd- 
ing was double, embracing two stories, and the elevation showed 
the heights of these stories in its double curve of ijlass, the lower 



NKW YORK (n<:NTRAL PARK. 101 

one i)r()jec'tiiig far beyond \\ic npper, and tlu; nppei- one to])[)ed 
bv a ventilating clear-storv also of glass. The lower lloor, entered 
from a eentral door on the eastern side of tlio ornamental water, 
and also by an am])le stair-wav from the nitpci- di\isioii. contained 
two large rooms, one at eithei" end — the I^^n-nery and the ('aniellia 
Room, eaeh having its own external door. (_)n either hand, as 
the visitor entered the hall from below, and lacing west, were the 
Flowe]' Kooms, where ent ilowers and bon(|nets were to l)e k'e|)t 
for sale. On the opposite side, nearly against the wall of the 
Park, were the fnrnaees and offices, and tlins the centre of the 
hall, with its light ])illars snpporting the tloor above, was left, 
free for the movcnnent of visitors. Up-stairs was the conserva- 
tory, fnlly lighted on all sides, and on a level with the Fifth 
Avenne, from which it conld be entered, as well as from Ix'low. 
It was intended tt) make this conservatory useful as well as l)eau- 
titiil bv atlopting a more natural arrangement than can easil}^ 
be contrived in smaller buildings. It was designed to give each 
plant, so far as possible, an o})]:)ortunity to grow in its own way, 
and to develo}) all its propensities without the restraint of the eti- 
quette usually enforced in these [)laces. Thus, while all the 
ordinary etfects of growth and bloom would be obtained here 
in full measure, we should have had, beside, the added pleasure 
of seeing how these pretty })risoners grow when free; how they 
sprea(], and climb or creep; and thus making a sort of useful 
acquaintance with them. As the plans of the Commissioners 
were so fully develo})ed with regard to this conservatory, and as 
Mr. Vaux's design was so carefully studied, and so well con- 
ceived, we will hope the idea is not wholly aljandoned, and that 
before a great while we may see the sparkle of these glass roofs 
answering the far-otf sparkle of the Lake. 

To the north of the ornamental water, and in the tract be- 
tween the main drive and the Fifth Avenue, there are several 
points of nimor interest, although this part of the Park is but 



102 



DESCRIPTION OF THE 



little frequented yet, owing, perhaps to its immediate vieinity to 
the Ramble. The tract is divided into two distinct parts by a 
branch of the main carriage-drive, leading in a diagonal to the 
Miners' Gate, at Seventy-ninth Street ; and the bridle-path also 



■^i„ tmf 



.^(<' 




OAKS NEAR SEVENTY-NINTH STREET ENTRANCE. 



crosses it in a direction nearly north and south. This bridle- 
path runs on each side of an irregular oval where grow some 
picturesque young oaks that have already attained a consider- 
able size, and whose shade is A^ery welcome in the heat of summer, 
as we know by experience, having passed many an hour under 
them with our book. Just beyond these oaks, as will be seen 
by the cut, the bridle-path passes under the branch carriage-road 
above mentioned, by an arch in a substantial viaduct of light- 
colored stone, with a railing composed of stone balusters and 
piers. Looking up from our book or newspaper, we see across 
the lawn, the Dovecotes under their high-arched prison of wire, 
of which we have already given an illustration. And still further 



NEW Y R K C E N T R A L PARK. 



103 



on we shall find the ])retty '' Evergreen Walk,"" tir.st laid out in 
1862, and promising before long to beeome a delightful place 
of resort on sunny days in winter. It consists of an encircling 
wall of trained and trinuned evergreens, the general outline of 
whicii is an elongated quatre-foil. On the outside of this wall 
evergreens are planted as thickly as they will grow healthily, 
and retain their natural form, and these are to be allowed to 
reach their natural height. Through the centre of this enclosed 
space there runs a double row of evergreens, clipped and trinuned 
like the outside wall, and presenting on all four sides a smooth 
wall of verdure, with cosy projecting and retreating ins and outs, 
each bay provided with a scat, so that six seats on the inside 
face the central walk, and six on the outside face the walk that 










MOWING LAWN NEAR SEVENTY-NINTH STREET. 



runs round the whole. Such an evergreen shelter needs, at least, 
ten years of growth and care before it will aj^pear all tliat its 
designers meant to make it: but this onc^ bids fair to be com- 



104 DRSCRIPTIOX OF TIFK 

pletclv surcH^Pslul luider tlio hands of the excellent gardener 
who has already performed such wonders here with his obedient 
trees and flowers. 

The laro-e triangular i)lot bounded l)y the main drive, the 
second traiHc-road, and the l)ranch carriage-road to Seventy- 
ninth St]-eet, is nnl)roken save by the bridle-path which, j^fiss- 
ino- under tlie branch carriage-road, ascends and crosses the traf- 
fic-road by a concealed bridge, and then, shar]ilv .turning to the 
left, makes for the Reservoir. The triangular plot we have just 
left is lightly set wdth trees, which crowd together into a close 
boscage along the trafhc-road, leaving the greater part of the 
slope in lawn, over which wc hear the rattle of the lawn- 
mowers' wheels that here, as on everv well-reo'ulated estate, have 
taken the place of the scythe with its cheerful whistle. In 
tlieir report lor 1S66, the Commissioners say: — "The appear- 
ance of those portions of the lawn cut by the lawn-mowers is 
remarkably superior to that of tlu^se cut l:)y the scythe. The sod 
is firmer, and the grass much more dense and even, and seems 
to maintain its freshness for a longer period." 



On the west side of the main drive we find a turnout, directly 
opposite this lawn, by which we enter, and, alighting upon a 
broad carriage-step of cut stone, find ourselves in the Ramble 
at its northeast angle. Tliis pleasant spot, to many tlie greatest 
attraction the Park contains, lies upon the southern slope of the 
rocky ledge that occupies the middle of the Park, sloping grad- 
ually toward the east. The Rand)le is shut in between the two 
main di-i\-es on the east and west, and between the Lake and 
the old Rest>rvoir on the south and n()rth. It is estimate<l to 
contain about thirty-six acres, and, although it has several open 
spaces of lawn, it is, for the most jiart, rpiite thicklv planted 
with trees and shrubl)erv, and laid out with a multitude of 



V. :M'W'^^' '"' ^ 




b^ 






M"l. % 



]^(^)(; X E A\' YORK C E X T R A L PARK. 

inv^iiliir and iiiterlnciiig walks, arranged without any detinite 
plan. It would have been difficult for one who surveyed this 
site before the Commissioners took it in hand, to believe that ten 
years could so thoroughly transform it. It was then, as we well 
remember, an unsightly mass of particularly barren rock, on 
which even mosses and lichens refused to grow; the soil thinly 
spread between the ledges was too poor to support any but the 
toughest and least graceful shrubs, while along its centre there 
ran a bit of soggy marsh tliat held the drainage of the higher 
portion until it could leak down into the still lower valley, or 
until it should l)e dried up under the heat of the August suns. 
To-(]ay no rock is seen but such as is needed for picturesque 
variety ; the rest is covered with earth, or overlaid so thick with 
honeysuckle, wild grape, trumpet-creeper, or wisteria, that its 
presence is not suspected by the passer-by. From April to 
September the Kamble is filled with the delightful ])erfume 
of these honeysuckles, while to these is added, in June, July, 
and August, the even more delicate odor of the swamp mag- 
nolia (J/, glauca). Bacon, in that pretty passage in his Essay 
of Gardens, beginning, " And because the Breath of Flowers 
is farre Sweeter in the Aire (where it comes and goes like 
the Warbling of Musick) than in the Hand, therefore nothing 
is more fit for that Delight than to know, wdiat be the 
Flowers, and Plants, that doe best perfume the Aire," — after 
giving a long list, wdiose names, with his quaint comments, 
read like a nosegay, brings in the honeysuckle: — "Then, the 
Hou}^ Suckles," he says, "so they be somewdiat a farre off." 
Here we may have them as we wdll, "farre" or "neare," and 
of the different kinds of honeysuckle {Lonlcera) the Park 
gardener can show us seventeen — nineteen — if we count two 
that are rather shrubs than climbers. However, most of these 
are odorless. As for the magnolia, it used to be a rare plant 
in our northern soil, growing, we believe, only in two places, 



N 1-; w Y () R K ( ; 1': x t r a l i- a r k . 107 

;uid those I'ar ajiart: the Jersey swani[)s, ami in one ])ar- 
tieuhir spot in Gloucester, Massachusetts, wlierc flourishes a 
small and isolated clump of this tree with its delightfully aro- 
matic flowers, a waif of the tropics, seemingly cast asliore on 
these stormy rocks. Of late years it lias been more frequently 
found in gardens, and the numerous specimens contained in the 
Park will, ere long, make it still more familiar. 

The design in planting the Ramble has been to give, if possi- 
ble, the delicate flavor of wildness, so hard to seize and imprison 
when civilization has once put it to flight. Therefore, an etibrt 
has been made to bring into these bounds as many of the wood 
flowers and flowering shrubs, the native growths of our forests, 
as would thrive here — foreign flowers and imported shrubs being 
put in places more seeming artiflcial. The success has l)een 
considerable, and every year adds something to tlie list, so 
that ali'eady the city boy or girl may find here the earliest 
anemones, hepaticas, blood-roots, adders'-tongues, columbines, and 
last, not least, the blessed dandelions, in such beautiful })ro- 
fusion as we have never seen elsewhere, making the lawns, in 
places, like green lakes reflecting a heaven sown with stars. 
And in time we have no doubt that the Earnble will become 
a favorite resort for teachers of botany with tlieir broods of 
learners, since the city suburbs are getting to be so thickly 
built up that it is not easy to find a haunt where the wild 
flowers can grow undisturbed, while here they will always be 
found in profusion, and though the laws of the Park forbid 
that they should be pulled, yet their habits of growth may be 
studied, and the young be made familiar with their pretty faces. 
One beautiful wild flower we, ourselves, especially miss: the 
Fringed Gentian {Gentiana crmita), celebrated by Bryant in one 
of his best-known poems, and not to be spared in any collection 
of our rustic beauties. It wt)uld be by no means difficult to 
domesticate in a place like the Randilc, where its native habi- 



los 



I) P: S C R I P T I N P THE 



tat could 1)0 almost exactly matcbed. and we liope, before long, 

to see — 

•'its sweet aud quiet eye 
Look tlirough its tring-es to the sky. 
Blue — blue — as if that sk}' let fall 
A flower from its cerulean wall." 

About tlie middle of the Ramble a spring rises that ieeds a 
slender stream which runs a, short course till it falls into the 
Lake in its eastern division. Tliis stream reallv drains what 







NOOK IN RAMBLE. 



used to be a depi-cssion across the western half of tlie hillside 
on which tlic Eamljle lies. Tt is no lons:er a marsh, l)nt in 
one or two s])ots th(^ ground is ]uii-poselv lelt but partially 



X !•; W Y O K K G K X T R A L T A R K . 



109 



(lr;iiii(.'(l ill oi'dcr tliiii cci-tiiiii \\\\i[ plants — reeds, lilies, irises, 
canliual-llowers, and otliei's that K)\e such watery places, may 
lia\e a home, and, not less, certain birds — storks, cran(>s, ducks, 
of the choicer and rari'r sorts, j)elicans, ami lu^rons. In at least 
three places this slender thread oi' w:iter is allowed to spread 
into shallow jionds, where, besides the flowers wc have named, 
the visitor mav lind the waterdily, a shy guest, which has, how^- 
ever, under gentle hands, consented to bloom in these quiet 
and home-like waters. 




nUSTIO DniROE in nAMBLE. 



Near the western boundarv of the Rambk> the lirook falls 
o\'er the slo])e that rises abruptly irom a narrow creek in the 



110 



D E S C R 1 P T r () N O V T H E 



Lake — a cleft in fact in the rock — in a very pretty cascade, 
which makes a cheerful music in this quiet spot; while, just 
below, it is crossed by this Rustic Bridge, leaning oyer whose 
side we look up the stream, where, on the slip of sandy beach, 
we see the birds preening their feathers for another plunge, or, 
turning, we look on the other hand upon the shining levels of 
the Lake. 

Further up the stream is still another Rustic Bridge in a more 

secluded spot, where the runnel spreads into a reedy pool, where 

the two })retty wood-ducks, which used to have their haunt here- 

^,-_ abouts, but which are long 

^^'i^ since dead, we believe, were 

often to be found, in company 
with the distinguisheddook- 
ing grey cranes, wdiich have 
also yielded to fate, and 
whose places have not yet 
been su})plied. AVe miss 
the stately creatures with 
their meditative ways, and 
wish them back again. A 
good deal of their apparent 
wisdom was, we suspect, 
imaginary. We doubt if all 
their profound cogitations 
had any other object than 
to decide what would be the 
best place to put their other 
loot down u[)on, in case they should conclude to put it down 
at all. 

Mr. Horace Greeley is said to have remarked when he went 
over the Park for the first time, " AVell, they have let it alone 
a srood deal more than I thought they would !" and while there 




KALL IN RAllULE. 



X K W y < ) H K ( " ]-; X 'IM! A I, I* A R K . 



11 



was truth in iho i-ciii;irk it yet sliowcnl a certain niisappreliension 
which our shrewd tcnvnsiiiau shares in connnon witli a great many 
intelligent people. But, in general, much lal)()r must be expended 
before any piece of ground in a natural state can be made into 
a })ark suitable for a great city. Nor are })eople agreed as to 




RUSTIC BRIDGE. 



what the character of such a park sliould be. ]\[any think 
that witli good roads and walks, brc»ad lawns and well-grown 
trees, all that is necessary, and all that is desirable will have 
been jM-ovided. Others would prefer something much more arti- 
ficial, more regular walks, a crowd of statues, water- works like 



LI 2 



L) K SO HI FT J ON OF THE 



tliose at Versailles, iu short auotiier Versailles if possible, and 
as iiiuch drearier and grander as money could make it. We 
liad a fearfid warning of what these people would make of a 
publico park, in the gateways that were designed for ours a few 
A^ears ago, and wliich we so narrowly escaped seeing erected. 
And still a third party are for a union of nature and art, with 
as much nature and as little art as can be contrived: and this 
would seem to l:a\'(^ been the aim of our Central Park Com- 
missioners. We dare say, if tliey had had put into their hands 
a broad and beautiful piece of ground, pleasantly undulating, 

with enouoh 
of rising hill 
and answer- 
ing hollow, 
and broad 
reaches of 
1 a w n - 1 i k e 
m e a d o w , 
with perhaps 
a wunding 
stream, that 
tliey would 
have felt it 
bc'^t to look well to the drain- 
airc, stcuie walks and roads 
a"-, ne ir ])eifection as modern skill 
(. m make })l.mt trees wherever 
n ituio h id iiK lilt to set them, but 
hid loi_;ottcii iimI then to hold 
then hand-. 

l>ut ])topk an mistaken wdio 
thmiv there are, anywhere, many 
suck ])laces as this in the world, for there are not many acres 




-,l->* 



m-.II SIMMUMI ISI IN KWrih 



X K W V o l; i; I'KXTIIAI. 1' A I! K . Hg 

ill liny our spot lluit would nol, need iiKirc skill iiimI (■U2;iiie(.'r- 
iii<^- to produce tlic iTsiill the •• l()\-crs nf ii;i1iiiv" delight in. 
than ihey tliiiik necessary. .Viid, l)eside, it is lo Iv i'(Mnenil)ered 
tliat. e\'en it' we liad once secnrt'd such a spot, its dail\- use 
l)y the swarming nndtitndes of a gi-rat cit\- wonM render it 
impossible to ]-:eep its rni'al Ix-antv long unspoiled. The grass 
can never ho used I'reely i'or games, l()r lounging. Idi- rom])ing, 
and Idr walking, without being desti'o\-e(l. as is plaiid\' seen in 
the Loiidou parks, which, in spite of their size, pres(Mit in mid- 
snnnuer a very shabby a[)pearanee. 'I^he beautiful "•coinmou" in 
our neighbor city of Boston aiU'ords an illustration nearer home. 
The lower p)art has long been used bv Ijovs lor ])laving l)all and 
other games, and In* the militia lor drill. It has becMi found 
utterly inip)ossible to keep the grass growing undersucli conditions, 
and the attem})t has been abandoned. The consequence is, that 
this part of tlie common is at present a dreary waste of sand, 
most unsightly to look upon, and the citizens are beginning 
to discuss the advisability of taking awav the ancient pre- 
rogatives of the boys and the soldiery. People who will consider 
the expense of ke(^ping the Central Park roads in cr)nditioiL 
even when such care is taken tliat they be not misused, can 
understand wdiat this expense would be if the restrictions were 
removed, altogether; and those wlio have enjoyed the comfoi-t 
of walking in our Park undisturbed bv the p)resence of carriages 
or horseback-riders on the same paths, will admit that their 
pleasure Avould be seriously interfered wdth if they had to shai'e 
tlie common road with vehicles and lioi'stMuen. or to takt'. loi- 
refuge, to an improm])tii foot-]iatli throUL!'h llie damp or dust\' 
grass. 

For our part wo are convincecl that e\-eii if a piu-el\- rural 
])ark could be made, and kept up (this last a condition almost 
im})Ossible to I'ulhf), in lhe heart of a great citw il would not 
meet, we will not sa\- the tastes, but lhe ahsolule re( piil-emeiils 



114 



DKSC'R r I'TTOX OF THK 



of \\\v majoi'itv. In tlie case of oar J^irk it must be remem- 
bered tliat i'or the site on which it was decided to plant it, 
nature had hardly expended the slightest effort. We might 
quote here the descrijrtion given of it in the earlier reports by 
the arcliitect-in-chiel' but it is unnecessary. Many of our read- 
ers can well remember the squalor and l)arrenness of the im- 



'V? W 




NOOK IN RAMBLE. 



sightly spot. And those who did not see it before it was re- 
deemed, can at any time know wliat it was like to nose, and 
eye, and ear. In' visiting some of those portions of our city, 
a.loug its upper eastern and western shoivs, wliere the shanties 



N K W ^■ ( ) lUv (' I-: X T II A L 1' A 1! K 



115 



aiid })lggerie^^ of tlj(' Irish i-rown ihc rock'v litML;;lits, and llii' 
iiiarkot-gardciis and (:abl)a!4"e-])I()ts lill the lowei* <^;i'<Mind. A more 
nnju'oniisinu; locality was never u'ix'cn 1o anv Adam lo make an 
Eden ()[', and lew persons who have n(.)t watclie(| the pro<xress 
of the Park from its eonunenccment, can fullv understand that 
its ])resent condition is almost entiivly an artiiicial ])rodiict. Na- 
ture havin^u' done ahnost nothing, art had to do all. ^Vnd jet 
art, tryin,!i; to contradict nature in nothing, hut onlv to follow 
lier hints, imi)rovc her slight suggestions, and take advantage' 
of lier liel}), however stingily it may sometimes seem to have 
been |iroffcred, has been able to produce a result, which, on 
the whole, so closely re- :^^::,^i:,---:- 

sembles nature, that it is no \^.- 

vronder if the superficial ob- 
server does not clearly sec 
how" vast is the amount of 
work that had to be per- 
formed before the Park could 
reach its present perfection. 
Nowhere in the Park, 
as it seems to us, has the 
result achieved been more 
worthy of the money, labor, 
and thought expended to 
produce it, than in the 
L'iand)le. Here at least we 
ma\' l)e tliankful that the 
Commissioners have not 

been content^ with mcrelv /^ i 

i'. 

"letting alone." For th(> K.vr«A.v.-,.: xu c.wk. 

Ramble is, in almost cvt-rv 

sipiare foot of it, a piuvly artiiicial piece of landscape gardening. 

Yet the art of concealinu" art was hardl\- e\-er better illustrated. 







IIB 



I) KSC i: I PT I \ OF T II E 



.Viul cx'crv rear's growth oi' trees and slirubl)erv makes the nature 
more, and the art less, so that, in time, it will ordy be the nature 
that will attraet attention, and tlie art will be lost sight of. Al- 
rea(l\' it is a delightfully retired place to which to bring one's 
la\'orite book, or to come to in tke summer heats that make our 
citv houses so unendurable, and do our thinking under the shadow 
of green leaves. Here a man mav sit for hours and hear no sound 
l)ut the chirp and twitter of the birds, the rustle of the light breeze 
overhead, or the iar-off murmur of the town. Sometimes a nurse 
with her charge passes, sauntering by, sometimes a band oi' chil- 
dren, or a solitary like ourselves : l)ut we are far from the crowd 





\VK KltllXl ],AKE. 



whicli, except on music-days and Sundays, does not tind in the 
Randjle's peace and still seclusion, the excitement it comes to 
the Park to seek. 



X K W Y () i; K C KXT 1! AL V Ml K 



117 



On tin.' cxtrenic wcsloni bonier of the HainWlc will be Ibiiiid 
the Olive, a great attractiou to Ijoys and girls, and hardlv less 
to many children of a larger growth. A stivj) path skirting a 
bank thickly set with rliododendi-ons, laurels, ami azaleas, which 
make a splendid dis])lay of coh)r in the time ol' l)looni, leads to 
the foot of a large mass of rock, where a, sharp turn to the left 
brings us to the Cav'C. At tirst, the entrance is \-eiT dark, and 
causes many a palpitation in tender breasts, but a few steps l)rnig 




INTF.TilOl! (IK lAVE. 



US to the light, and in a moment we tind oui'selves looking' out 
upon a peacei'ul cove, an arm of the Lake, as will he seen 1)V 
the plan, where the ducks pei'haps are at plaw or the swans, with 



lis 



D K S (J R I P T I N F T FI I-: 



their \()Uiiu-, ;ire preening tlieir snow-wliite ieatbers with their 
hhtek hills. <>n the shore. Keeping close to the rocks at the 
riuht, \ve come to the foot of a rough stair-way of rude stone, 
:in(l climbing up we reacli the summit of the great nxtk out of 
which the cave is hewn. From this point we get a verv pretty 




view of the Lake at its western end, and ])assersd3v in the Ix.tats 
can also look up the narrow cove at our ieet. and catch a glimjise 
of the mouth of the Cave. 

ll'. instead of turninu' into tlie Cave on reacliinu- the loot of 
the rock, we had kept straight on, we should have come to tla^ 
stone arcli l)y wliich one of thf many foot-])aths hereabouts leads 



X K W YORK (' K \ T 1! A I, 1' A i; K . { [i\ 

Up to the sjiiiu; siiiiiuiit we <j'aiii('(l l)\- cliiiiltiiiL;- IVoiii llic (';i\-e. 
This jiivli is l)Uilt u]» of rtMiuli blocks oT st()ii(\ and is alrcadv 
well covered with the \iiies that in no long tinu? it is hoped 
will liide its masonrv entirely Ironi \'iew. The path that leads 
to it, and that rnns niider it around the I'ock, is onlv partly arti- 
licial, (or if the \isitor examines closely he will see that it has 




IIUSTIC STON'E ARCH IM nAMBLE. 



been formed by merely lilliug up the l)()ttom of a cleft between 
two strata of the gneiss rock, which forms so large a part of the 
substratum of the Park, and wdiose natural di}) is such that in 
many cases, as here, for example, it oidy needs slight hel}) irom 
the hand oi' man. to lend itself to the most ])icturesqne effects. 
The ai'ch in realit\' is a means of getting from the top of one 



llX) 



DESCRIPTION oP TIIK 



ledge to the top of aiiotlier: ami the path under it is merely a 
cleft between the two ledges that was once lilled up with some 
softer rock, now washed away, or wdiich has been crumbled into 
sand. The summit of the stone arch can l)e readied either l>y a 
foot-path from the north that leads directly over it, or, on eliml)ing 
out of the Cave, by keeping on the path that leads to the right. 

From the top of _ 

the arch a })rctty view 
of the Lake at its en- 
closed western end 
may be had; and on 
leaving it one can 
either descend into 
the Cave, or, by keep- 
ing ])ast the rocky 
stair- wav, make his 
wav, by a })ath thick s( t \Mth e\cr 
greens, into the Ramble ag-im 

As will be seen b\ tlu pi m thi^ 
western side of the Rambh (onipmd 
with the eastern, is the mou iruirulai 
Itcontains much the gieatcr (plantlt^ 
of apparent rock, and as it would b" 
almost impossible toco\ii tlu^e (.\ 
})Osed slopes and ledger \\\t\\ (<nth 
the Commissioners lii\(. m m nn 
cases, not attempted it, but Jiave con- 
tented themselves wdth filling in wdier- 
ever nature gave an opportunity, and covering the nakea rocks 
with vines. Returning from the Ca\e, therefore, the visitor 
must not l)e surprised to find his path leading by rocky 
steps and steep-up ascents to the nortli, until at length he 
finds himself on a bare summit that overlooks the lower Res- 




UrsTIc STONE ARCH IN RAMBLE— ANOTIl Kit 
VZEIV. 



X K A\' V ( ) i: iv I ' I-: X 



A J, 1' A I! K 



121 



cTVoir, and spcs llic wliolc lower ]»:irk lying vnirolk'il like a nuq> 
at his ieet. This point, of rock is, \vc believe, tlu; higliest in 
the Park, being owe hun<lre(l and thirty-li\-e ieet abov(> tide- 
water. An elevation in the n[)per park, "(ireat Hill,"' as it is 




.: >^> rV^^ ^^^ 



LAKE FUOM TOP OF STOXE ARCH. 



called, near One Hundred and Filth Street, is as high within 
live feet, but it does not play so important a |»ai-t in the land- 
scape of the Park as the one on which we are at present 
standing. A structure called the Belvedere is in ])rocess of 
erec-tion here, which is intended not merely to make a pictur- 
esque object seen from many points in the lower parl<. but to 
serve a useful pur])ose as well, being a spacious ])ost for rest 
and obrier^-ation. For a long time this rock has b(>en a source 
of anxietv to the C'oiiunissioners, a sort of elephant on their 
hands that tlu'y did not know veiy well how to dispose of. If 
the reader will glance at the plan he will s(^e that the rock is 



ir, 



122 



D 1<: S C R I P T I () N F THE 



something crescent-sliaped, and that it cuts into one angle of 
the Reservoir, preventing it from mailing a perfect square. To 




^l-V^^- ^M_, 



THE EELVEPERE. 



so much of the elephant in rpiestion, tlie Croton Board laid 



N K W YORK (! E N T R A L P A R K . 123 

claim, ami as they \rvy uatui-ally Irarcd what luiulit ha|i}H'ii 
to tlu'ij' iiescrvoir in ciisc this aii^iilc of it wcvc taiiiptTCil witli, 
they lor a long tinu; h('sitat('(l ahont the (■x[)('(rK'nc\' of L;i\iii,ir 
np thoii- title to it. Jjong aftci- tlu' sonthcrn half of \\\c i'ark 
hail n';u.'hr<l a certain ptM'ii'ction, this rocl<\' snnnnit contmncd 
to 1)0 an eye-.sorc, ami hv no means the satisfactor\' terminus 
to the walks of this poi'tion that, it was I'clt, it on^ht to be. 
But. at length, the Crotoii Board has been prevailed u})ou to 
allow the Park Commissioners the use of th<_' whole of the 
rocky summit, and the foundations are already laid Idr the 
structure that is to be built upon it. Coming directly against 
the sky, as this Belyedei'e will, its etlect as a picturest|ue ac- 
cessory has been carefully studied, an<l though, in a critical mood, 
we might reproach it with u certain toydikc imitation of a i"eu<lal 
castle, perhaps this would l)e hardly lair. For, without doubt, 
the structure is really needed at this })articular ])oint, and, for 
the use it is to serye, it happens that the form that has been 
given it, is every way well adapted. .V yie\v of the proposed 
building \vas given in the tenth annual report of the Commis- 
sioners, and large drawings of the structure in |)erspectiye were 
placed by Messrs. Vaux and Olmsted in the last exhibition of 
the National Academy, so that the public is already somewhat 
lamiliar with its appearance as it wdll be when com})letetl. The 
design includes a sort of platlbrm, with buildings for shelter and 
outlook at either end. Those to tlie west are lower, and of a 
more domestic form, while at the east, a larger building of two 
stories ^vith a flat roof has, at its southeastern angle, a tower 
of considera1)le height, commanding the same yie\v that was 
formerly obtained from the old bell-tower: the one wdiose red 
ball used to be so anxiously looktMl for by thousands during 
the skating season. On the two gonfalons at the Terrace, the 
reader- may remend)er that the ai'ins of the State and City of 
New Ynvk were severally tMuldazoiied ; so. on tliis tmvei' of 



124 



DESCRIPTION OF THE 



the Belvedere, the flag of tlie United States will be kept flying 
all the vear round. 




\V FiillM iiEI.VEDEUE, LOOKING SOUTH. 



Under tliat ])ortion of the rock that lies just south of the 
Belvedere is the Tunnel, constructed at great expense, for carry- 
ing the second of the traffic-roads — the one that comes out, on 
both avenues, at Seventy-ninth Street, This Tunnel was com- 
pleted in January, 1861, and, after a careful examination, the 
roof w^as found to be sound and Arm. The length of the Tun- 
nel is one hundred and forty-six feet, and the height of the 
roof al)ove the centre of the roadway, seventeen feet ten inches. 
Its width— forty feet — is the .^ame as that of the road it spans, 
all the traffic-roads having the same dimensions. After passing 
through the Tunnel, the road continues in a straight line f(^r 
six hundred feet parallel with the southern wall of the old Res- 



N K W Y R K (■ 1<; X T R A L V A 1{ K . 



125 



ervoir. It tluMi takes a stroii.i;" ciii-vc to iIk^ north, and comes 
out at. Seventy-ninth Street, hy the Miners' Gate. At this gate 
a V)i-ancli of the main carriage-drive on the east side of tlie Park. 
and a hrancli IVom the bridle-path also, leave the grounds. 



L ^' 



,*#os'. ' >-»'i, j^t^. 




EI.VKllKKK, I.OOKINI. 



As the Ranil)le lias no central avenue or walk, and no central 
point of interest, indeed, unless it be the Belvedere and the view 
from its tow^er, it is not easy to describe it, if it were necessary or 
desirable to do so, alter any methodical i)lan. It is a place to ram- 
ble about in. not to w^alk through — a place to sit and rest in, to 
chat with a friend, or to read such books as one can I'ead in the 
open air, where nature does not wish us to read, but to enjo\- 
her \-aried and incessant j)lay. For the matter of n^st, all sorts 
of seats, shelters, arbors, sunnuer-houses, abound in this beauti- 
ful retreat. A sudden turn in the ])ath brings us to the pretty 
bower of wdiicli Mr. Bellows has giv(Mi us a cut c^n ]iage 112, 
where seats on either side enable the aged to rest a bit after 
what, to some, may be a tatiguing climb, or give excuse to a pair 
of lovers to ])ause awhile in their })leasant stroll, and debate 



126 



DESCRIPTION OF THE 



\Yhether tliev sliall continue their walk, or sit lor the rest of 
the (lay under this canopy of vine. 

— •• sheltered (Voiu day's garish eye, 
While tiie liGO witli houeyed thigli. 
Tliat at her Huwery woik dotli sing. 
Aud the waters nmrinnriiig." — 

if thev do not entice the dewy-feathered sleep of Milton, at least 
nitdce possible many an hour of quiet enjoyment and rest in the 




iL'MMER-nillsE JN- UAMULE NEAlt THE liELVEIlEKE. 



midst of the noisy city. On the summits of many of the lesser 
eminences in the lianible, shelters like this have been erected, 
some of them with seats both within and without, others with 
oidy a central pillar surrounded by a circular bench, and suppoit- 
iul;- a broad uuibrelladike eoverinc-. From these seats an unin- 



X I'] \A' ^■ ( ) 1! K (' R N T R A L 1' A R K . 127 

tL'iTiipted VK'W iii;i\- l>c ohtaiiK'd on all sides, no posts nor lattice- 
work sliuttini;: oil' tlio landscape: Init, while several ol' them are 
constructed on tliis pi-inciple, no one ol' tlu-ni is an exact copy 
ol' anv other. Not only is a pleasant variety sccuriMl in this 
wav, l)nt visitors, whose l)Uin[) of locality is small, are moi'c 
easilv able to tix their whereabouts, and to iind their way about 
tlian they would i)c it' they came, every now and then, upon a 
summcrdiouse or seat exactly like the , one tliey had restcil on 
a hali'diour earlier in their walk. Yet in all this variety tiiere 
is nothing merely curious or I'antastic: use and beauty are iu 
every case deliglitfully condjincd, and there are few seats iu 
the Park, we should think, upon which the oldest and feeblest 
person, or the most dclieate convalescent would not Iind it 
eas}^ to get the rest which, when it can be had at the nee(led 
moment, will often make a much longer walk possible than 
would be in the real country, almost anyvrhere. Sometimes these 
rests are not sheltered at all except l)y the trees and shrubs 
about them; or thcv are ])laced against the bi-oad, steep side of 
some mossy and lichened rock: or by the border of a brook 
or pool, where, while we sit, the birds will alight to driid\ or 
bathe, or perhaps the l)rowu rabbit will come hopping by. his 
long ears all alert with suspicious fear, and his startled eyes 
cpuck to catch sight of the intruder U})on his [^reserve, but, 
with a contkleuce in the power of the Commissioners to protect 
him that is beautii'ul to see, soon making up his mind to eat 
his dinner in defiance of strangers. Others, again, are lai'ge and 
ample structiires, capable of giving sufficient shelter to scores of 
people flying distractedly from the sudden shower. Tlie summer- 
house near the Artists' Gate is one of the very earliest erected 
in the Park. Those first built were designed by a certain 
Hungarian, who showed a great aptitude I'or this kind of archi- 
tecture at least, and wdio was ably seconde(l by the workmen 
the Commissioners employed to assist him. llai-dly any thing 



128 



D ]•: SCRIP T I X 



Tn 



of the sort bad tner been seen bcfoiv in this eountrv, but since 
that (lav a great nianv, abnost as good in design, have been 
put u|) in \'ari()us ]iarts of the Park by otlier hands. The 
niatei'iai fiu[)l()yed is the eonnuon cedar, which so abounds in 




SrMMKRIIOrSK NKAI! AFiTISTS 



the vicinity i>f Xcw York. The ]ind)s and truidcs are stripped 
of their bark, and thev ai'e then p\it together in a sohd and 
workmanlike i'ashion, very uvdike the frail and flimsy structures 
which we connnonly meet with under the name of summer- 
houses. Nor is it merely the workmanship that makes them 
noticeable, the design is always artistic and agreeable, and they 
are no less an ornament to the Park than useful and convenient 
buildings, without which the place would lose one of its chief 
attractions. Nearly all of them are now covered with vines 
which, in many cases, almo.st conceal the frame-work, giving 
us, instead of artitici;d decoration, a profuse tracery of the mo.st 
graceful vines. Over some, the Chinese honeysuckle spreads a 
fragrant sliade; over others the wisteria, with its parti-colored 



X !■: W V () 1! K (' V. X T 1{ A I, I' A I{ K 



rj!) 



leaves of tfiidercst brown and lii'i'di. ami its ilrlicatc |>iir[)!c 
flowers: oi- tlic rampant trunqx't-ci-ci'pci-. that witli the hiiyei', 
and that witli the sruallei' and lincf tiowers ; or the wil<l li-i-a])*^ 
with its spring-scent sweeter than mignonette; or the ])retty 
gounls witli theii' pendent bottles of vellow, gi'een, and o'/anu'e, 
the delight of childi'cn. The I^ai'k gai'dcnei' has a mission to 
teacli ns all what beantifid things can be done with the sinnilest 
means, and gets some of his most ciuu-ming elfeets with plants 





that rich men, and poor men loo ioi that matter. sonuMimes 
think too hund)le tl)r theii- gardens. We ivmemlier one spot 
wdiere the wdiole I'aee of a stc^-'p I'oek is covered with a wa\inu" 



j;j,, I» KS(" i; I FT 1 (» N OF T 11 K 

eurtaiii <»l' nioiii'V-woi i (Li/-s'niKicJi'(i nninmaldi'iav a pretty, little, 
\-ulizar i)lant, long since exiled li'oiii all aristocratic ganlens, but 
which seems to delight in sliowmg how, in this stately garden 
of th(! ]>eoj)le, it can hold its own by tlie side of many plants 
with far tiner names and a much prouder lineage. Some of our 
readers may remend)er having seen the money-wort growing m 
olddashioned gardens in ])ots and boxes, sometimes standing by 
the borders of the walks, sometimes planted on the gate-posts, 
the long trailing stems regularly set with their roundish, op})o- 
site leaves and flowers. But we never before saw it growing 
as freely and in such masses as in the spot we speak of in the 
Park ; it seems to have found its hah'itdt here, a place exactly 
suited to its needs, where it may show tlie world all its ca})a- 
bilities. 

Then, in another part of the Park, the soil in the long clefts of 
a mass of the gneiss rock is tilled with the native cactus, commonly 
called the j)ri('klv-pear, which grows so thicklv over the rocks 
and cliffs in New Jersey, along the Hudson River shore. It 
has thick, fleshy leaves, a l)lunt oval in shape, set all over with 
small bunches of very fine sharp thorns, so easily detached that 
it is impossible to touch the leaf without getting some of them 
into the llesli. The flowei\s, which, in the season, are verv 
numerous, are extremely delicate and })retty, being of a bright 
canary yellow, and having a sort of outlandish tro|)ical a[ipear- 
ance that increases the pleasure of coming upon them in one's 
walk. Wliether they were found growing wild on these rocks 
when the Park was first taken in hand, we d(^ not know, but 
here they are to-dav, mingling their large, gauze-like, vellow^ stars 
with the pi'ofuse bloom of the portulacca, and, no doubt, deceiving 
many with the belief that they are some rare species of cactus 
from foreign parts, set out here to l)looni for a sunnner and to 
be tenderly nursed and housed during the coming winter. 

In the same wav. the Park uardener has introduced manv of 



N E W Y R K C I<; N T R A L P A l! K 131 

onr native ])l;nits lnllicrto dcspiscMl, or httlc known, and 1)V sccnr- 
in,u lor tliem .'ondilions lax-orahic to their urowtli lias (Mial)U'd iis to 
become familiar with soiiie that we slioidd otherwise have lonir 
continued slran'jeis to. We Jia\c ali'cad\- >]ioken of the swamp- 
magnolia. l>etore the Park was ])lante(| it w;is rare in our North- 
ern States, and eoidined as it was to two spots, and those of 
small extent, there was a ]>robability that before long it might 
disappear from our soil altogethei'. l)ut sj)eeimens were earlv 
])lanted in the Hamltle, and lia\e thi'iven so well, and ai'c in 
sucb profusion, that the Jersey swamps and Massachusetts (ilou- 
cester can no longer claim a monopoly of this delightful shrub. 
We regard it as one of the chief advantages of the Park, oni> 
ot the ways in whieh it can most usebdlv serve the [)ul)li^^ tliis 
fostering of our native plants, setting them Ijefore the ])ublic in 
such a way as to make us all acquainted with their good jjoints 
and with tlieir beauties, whieh, bnt li)r this introdnetion, we 
might have long remained ignorant of This is in some re- 
spects, for praetieal purposes, the Ijest sort of botanical garden. 
Of course it is not the sort that a scieiititie man will desire, l)nt 
it prol)ably teaches the general pid)lie more than a more formal 
scientihe arrangement would, perhaps lor the very reason that 
it makes.no pretence of teaching us at all. We make the ac- 
qnaintance of many trees, shrubs, vines, and llowers liere in a 
familiar, easv wav, as we wouhl of {)eop]e in their homes. They 
are not on their dignitv here, they grow as tlu\v like Ix'st, and 
the gardener is one of those rare members of his (;lass who 
knows enough to let his subjects have their own way, or think 
thev are hax'ing it. Who ever knew, unless he had travelled 
in England, where gardening is understood as nowhere else in 
the world, what the lionevsuckl(> can do when it can follow its 
own inelmation, and is not urged to climb a trellis it has no 
mmd fir? What a sight for t\]o oyc. what a feast to the nose, 
this u'reat rock covered with a catai'act of bloom, tln^ t(Midnl-.-prav 



132 D 1^: S C R I P T I O N OF T H E 

tossed into the air as it |)()urs down u[)oii tlit^ ji'rass, and tlic Ix.^cs 
ahoiit it ill a linmuiiii.u' cdoud. Here is another rocky slope eov- 
vwd with the tninipet-ereepei-, the h)ng l)i'anclies h)viiig the 
warmth creep down anionu' the grass, and the flowers peejiing 
np sui'pi'i.-(^ lis with unknown blooms among the homes})un 
daiK.lelions and eloverdieads. In a, large estate like the CvMitral 
Park, the gardener can oi'ten give us the opportunitv of study- 
ing tlie effects jiroduced by ])laiits growing in large masses, and 
in a soil, and under ci:)nditions, exactly suited to their needs, 
an o[)portunity whicli we can seldom enjoy in any private gar- 
den. Even in wild nature, in the case ot tives and slirubs, and 
of the large class of jilants which we call weeds, it is oidv now 
and then that we come u[)on iiuely grown s])eciinens enjoying 
the soil, and siti", and air, precisely suited to their various .needs. 
( )ne ma\' li\'e in a. region wher(.\ walking li\'e miles in any direc- 
tion, and making the closest search, he can ordy hud on tlie border 
of a bit of woodland, amoiiL;; the brush between it and the edge 
of a late-cleart'd licld. a few score ])lants of the Fringed (fentian 
pusliina' up their prrttv blue (lowers, in the early autumn, through 
the tanaie ; and he may tkitter himself that he kmnvs somethino: 
of its habits. P)Ut let him lind himself among the meadows of 
Berkshire, near .Stockbridge or Iamiox, and come l»y chance U|.)on 
one of the many sites in wliich the (rentian delights, aial he will 
hardlv go back to his own starx'clings again. For, as he stands 
up(_)n the l>('rksliire hillside, he will see below him tlie wide 
Held all blue with the multitude of these flowers lu> has been 
taught to think so shy, set thicker than tlie dandelions in early 
spring, and the plants no pigmies either, such as he lias been 
accustomed to, witii sometimes oidy one flower, and, at the most 
with live or six, but grants three feet high, and with thirty, iilty, 
sixty flowers apiece, counting them in all stage's, I'rom the half- 
opened buds to those fully open, and with all the fringed cur- 
tains of their eves advanced. Now he may well think he knows 



N K W V ( ) 1! K (■ !•: X 1 U A L V A R K . 133 

wliat llic l^'i'iliL!('(l (iciiti:iii rcjilK' is; lie li;is seen it growiiiu ;i> 
it was iiicaiit \<^ l^'I'ow. Who ran sav t'.iat \\c lias lairl\' ^I'cii tiu' 
Canliiial-llowcr. initil lie liiids it iiiisoiiLilit, tlii'owii down l>v a 
iiiarsli\- hrooksidc. Iik'c a splendid scarlet earjx't, whereon, onlv a 
iiiinute aii'o. OIktoii and all his eoiift wei'o seated in nieiTX' ]ihiv, 
])iit \anished at the sound of a human Foot! ( )r t^oldeii ro(i. or 
iK),L;-t()()th \'iolet, or the wild iris, or niichaehnas daisv, or aiiN' 
oi' the sweet wildiiiL!; brood; who knows them, till he linds them 
where thc\' are ol their own will, in a |>laee in hai'moin' with 
their ,ueiiius? 'Jdie hotanist hunts far ami wid(,', and ([uestioiis 
every traveller, till he limls the real habitat ol' the plant he is 
studyiitL;; not the ])hiee wdiere it can be made to grow, by tor- 
cing or coaxing, but the place it loves to grow in, the place it 
will crawl to, climl) to, send out runners, roots, tendrils, winged 
seeds, to seek, and wdiere. when it has once arrived, it will grow 
in all the glory it is ca})able of ibr a liundre<l vears. The very 
sight of so \'ulgar a thing a.s a S(piash-\ine crowning some ignolde 
dunghill, wdiere it 1ias been chance-sown, with its magniticent 
leat\' crown, and sending out on twerv side its wild li-ecbooter 
runners, now creeping close along the ground, catdike. as if 
ready lor a spring; now mounting the garden wall, now swing- 
ing up with one hand to the to]) of some low shed, and iiiding 
it wdth its great cloak of leaves and golden (lowers, and. per- 
haps, building iij) tli<_'re, out of i\'ach, the miglitv globe that is 
to take the prize at the next coiintv fair: — such a rude sight as 
this is inspiring in its wav ; we feel that Ave hax'c seen one thing 
at least in creation doing, wdtli all its miglit, the worlc it was 
intended to do. ]>ut. for the most ])art, rich j)eople who have 
"].)laces," and who lia\'e, what Job didiid have, a head-gardener; 
and people not rich, who hax'e gartlens that must, they think, 
be k't'j)t in order, rareh' ever see aii\' plant growing as it has a 
mind. Trees are pruned and cut l)ack, grajje-vines are duly 
pinched, strawfjcrries are torbid to run. tomatoes are ])ut in 



134 D E S C H 1 P T 1 () X K T 11 K 

sti'aiglit-wiii.-'tcoats and kept down, and the wliole garden, doubt- 
less i'oi- its own uo(jd, is trained to walk in the nari'ow I'oad oi' 
dutv. ]>ut, ouee let the head-gai"<lener ])ersecute his miserable 
cni[)kner u]) to tiiat point beyond wliieh endurance is not j)os- 
sil)le to human nature, and be sent awav. taking with him his 
whole cor|)S oi assistants, and, bv the arts best known to the ti-ibe, 
keeping his late master out oi' a successor for a montli or two; 
or, let the iiinulv shut up tlie place, and go summering in other 
))arts, and how these shrubs, flowers, and vegetables do behave, ibr 
all the j)auis s|)ent on tlieir education! See the iig-tree in the 
c(»rner, struggling with the sweet-pea vines, and coming out 
second l)est ! Look vonder, at the Maurandia that iias made a 
thick curtain clean across tlie great window of the library, so 
that tlu; ser\-ant, who tries to open the blinds from within, 
'"can't tliink wliatever do hold the (i'nitted tiling!" By P<.)- 
nioiia ! those strawljerries tliat we liave fori;id, over and over 
again, to get out of tiieir beds, liave siip[»ed oft', and, like 
Leigh Hunt's pig-driver's pig, "are running down all manner 
of streets!" The purslane has covered tlie walks witli its pretty 
rosettes, the sorrei has tilled every craiinv witli its sparkling 
tults, the whole garden, in short, is a wilderness, in which ail 
man's petty, useful laws and regulations are forgotten, and where 
tlie poet is as much delighted as tlie new head-gardener is dis- 
mayed. 

As we have said already, an effort has been made to secure 
in the Ramble something of tliat flavor of wildness that gives 
tlie zest to a walk in the woods and open fields, and that makes 
the charm of some of the Lnglish and French countrv places. 
iVbsolutc wildness is neitlier })ossil)le here, nor desirable, but 
enough of it. it was thought, C(-mld be seized and imprisoned 
to .jjiease the artist and the poet, with children, and all real 
lovers of simple nature. And it seems to us that the Com- 
missioners liave succeeded, even better than I'ould iiave been 



X K W V o I{ K ( ' !•; X ■[' H A L 1' A i; K , ^35 

li(»])(nl. ill tVcHMiiLi tlic llaiiil»lc Iroiii the a|)j)c;ii'aiicf ol ai'tilicc 
ami n-st rami. It is not tlir I'cal couiitrN-, ti> lie sure, hut it is 
ciioiigli like it to ixwc pleasure to those who know the eouutrv 
best, au'.l the lo\'er of llowei's will lind here nian\' cxainples 
of the sort of cultur*.' we ha\'e been s[)eakin<z' oh, l)v whieh lie 
is taialileil to JuiIl;*' how certain (lowers that he has ne\-er seen 
growDig e.\eej)t alone, or under the ivsti'aints ol onlinar\ uarden 
culture, look' when planted 111 great nundjers, in masses, and with 
no pereeptdjle restraint at all. For ourselves, we ha\-e nex'cr 
seen in anv pi'ivatt? garden such a splendid displa\- of rhodo- 
dendrons as niav he witnessed every year in the Rand)le, neai' 
the rustic arch and the Cave; we get bnt a poor idea of what 
the plant is from merely seeing it in a pwt. or standing alone in 
the gardend)ed. Then, there is our grandmother's iavorite, the 
liydrangea. We always thought it a vapid flower, with its 
petals of no color, and ready to take any hue its owntn* inav 
have the cheniic skill to give them, but, since we have seen 
it massed ;dong the slo]ies of the Terrace, we are readv to ad- 
mit that we had not done it justice, for it is a llower that, wdien 
properly treated, is capable of producing a cliarming effect. And, 
when the hydrangeas have had their titrn, we hope that the ]-*ark 
gardener will let us see how hollvhocks will look in tlie place 
their paler rivals now occupy. It strikes us that this s[)lendid 
plant is exactlv suitt'd to those slopiing banks aljout the ^Ferrace, 
both bv its pvramidal lorm and bv the magniticeiU color i)i' its 
Howers. Its very formality, although in ivality it is less liunial 
than is sometimes represented, for its stalks often get blown down 
bv the winds, or weighed down bv heavy rains, and in \\\c cflbrt 
to riglit themselves, contrive to get twists and eur\-cs enough Ibr 
pictnresqueness,^but wdiatever formality it has. especially hts it 
i'or being planted near a piece ol' architecture like the Terrace, 
wdiose lines are almost all horizontal : while its masses of brilliant 
color, scarlet, rose-scarlet, ci'nnson. i)uri»le-l)lack. lemon-vellow. 



130 



D E S C R I P T I () X O F T H E 



wliite. and iXKst', wcjuld I'elieve the iiKjiiotoiious tint of the stone, 
and set the ImihUng in a gorgeous i'raine. U|i to this tune, we 
believe, tlie Ilollvhock has not Ix'en ])hntted in the Park. It is 
despiseil 1)V some people, and eounted a poor man's ilower, a 
country Ilower, not tit to grace anv rich man"s garden, much 
less so stately a phice as this garden of tlie people. Here is an 
opportunity to teach these mistaken people a lesson tliey will 
be glad to learn. For no real lover of flowers could be in- 
sensible to such a sight as the ga.rdener of the Park, with all 
the resources he has at his command, could show us, if he 



r --^ 




IXTERIOIt vt MAUni.t; ARCH. 



would, by |)lanting on these terracedjanks, or along some alley 
of a hundred i'eet or so in length, and with a l)aekground of 
evergreens, groui)S of the tinest hollyhocks from the recent prize 
shows in Englantl, where this ])lant has long been a lavorite, and 
where, under cultivation, it has attained an astonishing perfection 
both in the size and color of the flowers, and in profusion of 
bloom. 

Those who frequent tlie Park nuist olten have had occasion 
to thank the Commissioners ibr the abundance with which water 



X K W Y < ) R K (' K X T R A I, I' A 1; K i;;7 

if; siipplicil ill spriuiis ;iii(l wiiysidc driiikiiiL! roiiiitniiis. 'I'lir 
nutlionties lia\'(^ prox'idccl ;nii])l\- Inv ihc \v:iiits in this rcsjicct 
iidt (»iil\' (if iiicii ;iii(l horses, hut <»r nil the :iiiiiii:ils iiihahit iiiL;; 
the I'lirk. We ha\e alreach' u'lNcn an iHustration ol one i)Ut 
()1 the main' (Iniihiiiii; I'ouiitains to tx' met with iiiKhT ihr \ari- 
ous arehwavs and hri(l,i2"es. Anoth(>r will he li;)iiiid under the 
niarl)le arehwav. a sti'ueture near the southern (Mid of the Mall, 
which, from l)eini;" a little oft' oui' road, we haA'e not before s|)ok(Mi 
of! This is one of the pleasantest and most ele<2;antly huilt of 
all these eool places for rest and refreshment. It is entered at 
one end on a level with the i'ootpath ; at the other a douhle 
stairway to left au<l rii>;lit leads to the level of the Mall and 
to the cai'riage-road which this arehwav is desi^iriied to cari'v. 
It is called the nnirlih- (ircliird 1/ to distinguish it, all the other 
structures of this sort in the Park being built either of stone, 
or brick, or of brick and stone combined. The niarl)le eni- 
))loyed is the coarse limestone fi-om the Westchester rpiai'ries. 
which has been so largely used of late for building in New 
York City. The archway proi)er runs under the main car- 
riage drive that nearly crosses the Park at this })oint and con- 
nects the two drives at either side running north and south. 
A marble bench runs ahmg each side, and at the end, as is 
shown by our cut, a semicircular niche accommodates those 
who ])refer the I'ullcr light that reaches it IVom the stairwav. 
In this niche there is to be placed a suitable marble Ijasin with 
drinking-cups, but. at present, water is obtaineil from a common 
hydrant. The interior of this archway is jicculiarly light and 
atti'active, and lar more cheerful than the other structiu'es of a 
similar sort in the Park. Here, on a warm daw tlu^ children and 
their nurses gather with tlieii' luncheon-baskets, or tlu^ nnider 
comes with his book and a sandwich, and whiles awav a sultry 
hour at noon. ( )\('r the railing of the bridge abovt' W(^ well 
j'iMucnibi'r IcaiiiiiL;' one F0U11I1 of ,lul\' exeniuL:. watchini^' the 



138 



I> K S C R 1 P T 1 N F T II E 



slow sunset lade, and alter, i'ar into the night, ak)ng the wide 
horizon 

— '• bieak 
The rt>ckt't molten into flakes 
Oi crimson or m emeralil ram." 

The elevation here is just sufficient to enal)l(^ one to know that 
he is surrounded by a city, without looking down upon it. A 
little beyond the marble arch, and near the Seventh Avenue, is 
the bridge shown in our next cut. where, as in all the passages 
of this kind in the Park, tliere are seats along the walls and a 
drinking fountain. This bridge is built of red Philadelphia 
brick and a yellow brick, })robal)ly from Milwaukee, arranged 




BRIPGE OF 11E1> AND YELLOW BRICK NEAR THE SEVEXTH AVENUE. 

in alternate stripes, the red bricks, l)esidt\ being set at an angle 
instead of flush, a disposition wliich proves quite decorative in 
effect, giving shadow, taking oft' from the bald appearance of 
mere stTi])es, and making the contrast of color more value. The 
arch of this bridge is supported externally at the ends by cut 
granite (pioins and keystones, and the red and yellow bands of 
the outside are continued within. 



XKW YORK CKXTIJAL I'AP.K 



lai) 



l.)Ut the lu-cdi'il rctrrsliiuciiL <>|' wutor is not. ;il\v:iys supplied 
in these ;irtiliei;il Avays. In iiiaiiy places in llie Park, not only 
in the ]vainl)l(,' hut in llu^. uppei- })ai-k, in the Ravine, and liere 
and there lower down alon^i!,- the westei'u side, we eonie upon 
prettv natural s])rings like this in our cut, wdierc the Avuter 




.Sl'lUNU NEAR EKiUTU AVENt'K. 



wells out from the livini;- rock and is set in a (Vanie oC leafage 
as ev(M-v spring- sliould he hv rights. ^Vfauy a time in our walks 
liavc we come upon some little hird taking his hath in the pool 
that receives the falling water, nor has he always thought it 
necessarv to i\y away at our approach. Near the restaurant 



140 DKSC 1! I PT I OX OF Til K 

at Mount Si. A'iiieciit tlicre lias latt-lv l)oeii eoiistrnr'ted an ex- 
tremelv pretty s[)ring. Tlie water ll(_)\vs aenth- down over tlie 
ihee of a nearly perpendienlai' I'oek, keeping it always moist, but 
not flowing witli too full a stream to Ibrljid tlie growth oi' 
mosses and ferns in tlie slight ledges along its face, and is re- 
ceived at the liottom in a dee}) tank. This spring has been 
arranged expressly for horses, and is on the horseback-ride near 
the prettv cedarn arbor, seen from the road just before reaching 
the restaui'ant. In the npper })art of the Park, where rocks of 
this description are quite connnon, other rustic sj)rings similar 
to the one wliich we have just described, are tv be constructed 
Iroin time to time, so that when the laying ont of the grounds 
is completed there will be, in every })art, al»nndant provision of 
water for man and beast. And it is |)leasaiit to remember that, 
thus far at least, all the water that is in the Park, excepting, 
of course, the two Croton Reservoirs, whether it be in the form 
of lakes or pools, brooks, lountains, or springs, is the natural 
product of the ground, not borrowed from the outside country. 
The water that used to 'stagnate in these marshes, or to ci'eep 
la/ilv along in slender streams, half choked with duckweed and 
cress, has been thus transformed bv tlie skill of the engineers 
and landscape gardeners, an<l made to minister l)oth to use and 
beaut\'. 

\\'e have otten alluded to the animals tliat have tiieir })leas- 
aiit home in the Pai'k ; of those which are jiermitted to run at 
lai-u'c the Ramble otters to many a delightful shelter, where tliev 
may almost forget the nearness of the citv. Indeed, if it were 
not i'or dogs, which, although idrbidden in the Park, will olten 
make an entrv by night, and do mischief in spite of all precau- 
tions, there is no dangei', or there would l)e none if the wall 
and gates were completed, in allowing the deer to roam at will. 
But neither the wall nor the gates would be a sufficient ju'otec- 
tion against dogs, if the deer and slieep were unguarded, and 



X !•: W" V I ) H K (• !■: \ T i; A 1, 1' A li K . 



141 



llic (()i'iiii.T, tlicrcroi'c. ;ii-(' coiiliiu'd to tlicii' enclosures, anil llie 
latter inlrustcd to llie care and erook ol' tlieii- Jaitlilnl shepherd. 
In the J->;nid)le. then. \v(> ean oidv stnd\- tlic habits in fV(M'(loin ol' 
eei-t;un birds, unless il be those of tlie rabbits, wild and lame, 
but the eonipanv oh these we e;in really enjo\', Ibi' they are 
exidently at honu', and ha\-(> learned, by this time, to be qinte 
tearless in the j)resenee 

ofyisitors. Amontrtlie 'v-t^^-^Ll^ v'^- •^'c/,.- •'! 

ibwls, too, the _i>'ood old ■• ^~ ' ^v-.v'' '.'l ') </ ,' 

P]nglish of our l^ible 
allo^vs us to reckon the 
bees, which, somewhere, 
are called " the smallest 
of the lowl," and an in- 
I'ant colony of these 
little creatures is I'airly 
domesticated here, hay- 
ing its huts un<ler the 
pretty shelter which we 
sliow in our cut. Pro- 
bal;)ly there would l)e 
more of these if it were 
not that the bees ar<^ 
such ti'oublesome crea- 
tures to manage, and 

tliat in the coui'se of a year a great manv children woidil be 
stung by them. If th(>y were not almost as fearful wild-lbwl 
as Bottom's lion, l)eing not only constitutionally ii'i-itable, but 
wliimsical, which is worse: apt to lly into a p)assion at an ill 
smell, prone to fall out with people not sulliciently giyen to 
bathing, and, on tiie otlu^r hand, like eiioiigh to ])ersecute any 
lady carrying a seente(l liandk(^rehief, or ^yith ])erfnmed hair, 
to her })ei'il : — it would be a yery pleasant addition to the at- 




r.EE-inVF. IX liAMP.I.E. 



142 



D E S ( ' R I r T I X ( » F T H E 



tractions oC the l\irk to liave an o|)|i()rtunity of studying tlie 
o|)erations of bees in tiieir hives. Many a deligbtful hour 
might l)e passed, surveying 

■•'riie ;iiiiji-in.<i- masons Iniildiiig' rodfs of o-olil." 

that is if thcv would let us, but, as is well known, the bees like 

to keep their doings to them- 
selves, and if the glass by 
which we watch them re- 
main long uncovered, they 
will make a waxen screen, 
and shut out prying eyes. 

The English sparrows how- 
ever, for whom these pictur- 
esque houses are being built 
in A-arious parts oi' the Park, 
beside the Ramble, are by 
no means so shy, nor, to us 
humans, so ill-disposed, al- 
though they are pugnacious 
little fellows and tight for- 
ever among themselves. But 
they are such brisk, tight- 
bodied, chirruping, lu'ight- 
eyed chaps, that, after brief 
acquaintance with them, we 
expect to see tliem do every thing, — lighting, love-making, eating, 
and drinking, witli as much fuss and fury as possible. They 
|)icked up tliese manners, we suppose, in England, and they 
look like Englishmen in miniature, for all the world ! We 
happened to be in the Park on St. Valentine's Day, and there 
vv'as a hubljub, to be sure! Tlie sparrows may have called it 
" wooing '" but it looked to us like a G;eneral scrimmao-e. Such 




'-■^^^l^'S^tH^'^^^' 



DUlD-llUUSE IN liAMliLE. 



XKW YORK (}ENT1!AL PARK. 14*^ 

scolding and chattering, .^ueli hard blows given and taken, snch 
ehip|)er defiance, and hot [lui-suit on the least ])ro\-ocation ! It 
was as noisy as a political cancns, and sounded wonderfully lil<c 
swearing! They are industrious little creatures, however, and 
not onlv the Central Pai'k, but the whole city, is greatly in iheii- 
debt for the thorough way in which they keej) the nicasuriug- 
wornis down. Visitors to the J*ark must ha\e noticed iiow free 
the trees are from destructive insects and worms; a caterpillar's 
nest is a thin^- not to be seen there, and wo su])post> that a 
great deal of this ti'ceilom li'oni what, in many })arts of our- city, 
had grown to 1k> a real nuisance, is owing to the ii'ccdom that 
birds of all kinds enjoy here. They pay for all the care that 
is taken to protect their li\"es. antl make them comiortable. 

The pea-fowd are the most attractive residents of the Hand)le, 
and they seem to find life there xevy agreeable. They may often 
be seen on the lawns on sunny days: the cocks ste])})ing majes- 
tically about, with their magniiicent trains, and the meek hens 
following them, their (piiet-colored plumage serving as a f(>il to 
the splendid hues in which their lords are arrayed Now and 
then, apparently from no other motive than ))ure whim, the male 
will vouchsafe the world a sight of his out.^pread tail, and if 
he succeeds in attracting a sufficiently large crowd of children 
v.'itli their nurses, and is greeted by enough tlattei'ing "ohs!" 
and "alls!"' he will coin])lacently turn himself about to the right 
and left for twenty minutes or so, ap[)arently under the im])re.s- 
sion that the entire Park, and th(^ whole world, ibr that matter, 
was created expressly as a platloi-m and background foi- the dis- 
play of his splendor. It is, bv no means, unconnnon eithei', for 
him to be so carried away l)y the extreme admiration bestowed 
upon him, as to fancy that he can ad<l. as it were, a ])erfume to 
the violet, by lifting his voice in song, but the lirst few notes 
of his raucous and discordant crv are generally sulHcient to dis- 
perse the assend;)h' in most admired disorder, the infants ailding 



144 



DESCRIPTION OF T II K 



tlu'ir s(|n;ills to his. uiul tlie iiui-ses, territicd out of tlieir wits, 
siiatc'liiug up tlieir cluirux's, ami soekiniz' ivtu^-e Iroiii the beauti- 
ful monster in the nearest summer-bouse. 

For oursc^lves. we better like to come u|K)n the ])eaeoL'ks when 
thev are lvin_o- at ease in some covert, say in the late antunm 
da vs, anion o- the withered leaves, where, at lirst. tbey are not 




Si«^->* •»** 



■*'<„■ 



L.iWN IN KAMBLE WITH I'EA-FOWL, 



perceived, but ])resently, all at once, the eye catches the un- 
wonted gleam oi' tlie neck Avitli its indesci-ibalde green-blue, 
such as nothing in nature can rival, except the hues and lights 
of certain precious stones. Other birds, indeed, and some of tlu> 
South American butterflies and beetles, have colors as splendid, 
but they are distributed in much smaller masses, or on smaller 
bodies. No other bird, we belie\e, is at once so large as the 
]»cacock and so gorgeously arraved. His bcautv is })r(_)vcrbial. 
])ai'ticularly among the Eastern nations, and beside making use 



N K \V Y O R K C K X T R A L V A 1! K . 145 

of his }i1uiii;i,l;'(' in \ari()us (loco r;i live; manulacturc, tlicv ol'ten 
ciiiplov its markings and colors in tiicir designs, imitating its 
hues with staini'd iiiother-of-]')(\ai'I. and with lapis, (Mnorald, and 
turcpioise. He plavs an ini[M)rtant part too in the Mohammedan 
leii'ends. and, perha])S, the reailer niav not object to lieariiig how 
tiie .Vi'al) pr(.)phet iiiti'odiice(l him among the personages concerned 
in the great drama of the Fall of Man. 

Allah himsell' said to .Vdam and Eve, "1 ha\e ap[)oiuted 
this garden for vour abode, it will shelter you from c(dd and heat, 
from hunger and thii-st. Take, at your discretion, of every thing 
that it contains; only one of its fi'uits shall be denied you. Be- 
ware that ye transgress not this one command, and watch against 
tlie wily rancor of Iblis ! He is your enemy, because he was 
overthrown on your account: his cuiming is iniinite, and he 
aims at your destruction." 

The newdy-created pair attended to Allah's w^ords, and lived 
a long time, some say live hundred years, in Paradise without 
approaching the forbidden tree. But Iblis also had listened to 
Allah, and resolving to lead man into sin, wandered constantly 
in the outskirts of heaven, seeking to glide unobserved into 
Paradise. But its gates were shut, and guarded by the angel 
Eidwhan. One day the peacock came out of the garden. He 
Avas the linest of the birds of Paradise, for his. plumage shone 
like the pearl and emerald, and his voice was so melodious that 
he was appointed to sing the }iraises of Allah daily in the main 
street of heaven. 

Iblis, on seenig him, said to himself, •'Doubtless this l)eauti- 
fnl liird is very vain ; ])ei'haps I may be able to induce him, by 
flatter}', to brmg me secretly into the garden." 

When the peacock had gone so far from the gate that he 
could no longer be oA'erheard by liidwhan. iblis said to him: — 

"Most wonderfid and beautiful bird! art thou of tlu' birds 

of Paradise? " 

i:) 



J_46 I) ESC R I PT I O.N OF THE 

- "I am: Init who art tlioii. who seemest frightened, as it' some 
one did pursue thee?" 

"I am one of those cherubim who are a])pointed to sing, 
without ceasing, the praises of Allah, but have glided away 
for an instant to visit the Paradise which He lias i)repared 
for the fiuthful. Wilt thou conceal me under thy beautiful 
wings?' 

'"Whv should I do an act which must bring the displeasure 
of Allali upon me?"' 

"Take me with thee, charming bird, and I will teach thee 
three mysterious words, which shall preserve thee from sick- 
ness, age, and death." 

''Must, then, tlie inhabitants of Paradise die?'" 

" All, without exception, who know not tlie three words 
which I possess.'' 

"Speakest thou the truth?" 

"By Allah, the Almighty!" 

The peacock believed him, for he did not even dream that 
any creature woidd swear falsely liy its maker; yet, fearing lest 
Ridwhan might search him too closely on his return, he steadily 
refused to take Il)lis along with him, but promised to send out 
the serpent, who might more easilv discover the means of intro- 
ducing him unol)servedly into the garden. 

Now the serpent was at first the rpieen of all beasts. Her 
head was like rul)ies, and her e\'es like emerald. Her skin 
shone like a mirror of various hues. Her hair was soft like 
that of a noble virgin; and her form resembled the stately 
camel ; Ucv breath was sweet like musk and amber, and all 
her words were sonus of praise. She fed on saffron, and her 
resting-places were on the blooming borders of the beautiful 
river Cantharus. She was created a thousand years before 
Adam, and destined to be the plavmate of Eve. 

Tlie rest oi' the legend ncod not be given. The peacock so 



X ]•: W Y O K K C K X T R A L PA II K . 



Ui 



frightens the beautiriil and liixurions serpent Avitli the idea of 
death, that she sti'aightway runs out of the <i;ar<len, and is easily 
persuaded l»y Thlis to allow him to enter l^iradise hid in the 
hollow oi' one of her teeth. As a punishment for his com- 
plieity in the erime of Ihlis, the ])eaeoek was condemned to 
lose his heautitld Aoiee, and, on beinu" expelled from Paradise, 
was ordered to take up his abode in l-*ersia. Tn these latei- 
rears he has exchanged the rose-gardens of ]*ersia lor haunts 
farther west, and Iuls long since become a iamiliar bird Avitli 
us. jSTo less than seventy-nine are domesticated in the' Pai'k, 
and. of these, the greater number are to l)e met with in the 
Ramble. 




LAWN IX KAMDI.E WITH (J f IN KA-tOW L. 



Belonging to the same sub-order as the pea-l(>wl, but less 
striking in appearanc(\ are the guinea-fowl, of whieh the Park 
possesses one hundred and tifty-lbur specimens. The majoi-itv of 
these are of the well-knowu gray variety, there l»eing onlv two 
of the far less common, white. The guinea-lbwl is much sliver 
than his moiv showy relative, and will not remain so ([uietlv 
to be watched, but it is ]irettv it' one can eome unawares upon 
the parents, leading almut their tinv speckled brood. ![' thev 



148 



T> K R R I P T I C) X ( ) F T H F. 



sj)_v US. ]iowe\-(M-, tliev (jiiickly take themselves t(> cover. One 
wonders if tlie Arahs lia\'e a fable readv to account for the 
hai-sli \<)i('e which these birds share wdth their cousins, the pea- 
fowl: |)rol)ably it was only thought necessary to account for 
tlie discrepancy between the elegant shape and brilliant color- 
ing of the largei' bii-d, and his horrible \-oice, while contrast be- 
tween the sober gray and rather clumsy shape of the guinea- 
fowl, and his rough cry, was so much less striking as to pass 




KnEDEItlrK LAW OLMSTED. 



with little notice. Mr. l^ellows was so fortunate as to find a 
party of these birds so intent upon inaking havoc among the 
grasshoppers on tlie lawn as t(j be entirely unconscious of the 
fact, that "a chiel was amaug 'em takiu' notes," until he had 
them sately down, in their native gray and white. 

Less familiar than these birds, ])ut liardly less interesting, 
are several strangers, from far-away pai-ts of our own countrv 



X !•: w ^■ ( ) II !v (' I-: N T I! A L I" .V n k 



149 



or Iroiu ovcr-.-^i-as. wliicli we shall nu'i't in aiiv of oiir strolls 
thnnig-li the llaiiil)lc. and oT wliieli wo liavc already spoken. 
Many of our readers will liaxc iiuide the awiuaintaiiee long ago 
of the Heron who wanders about lor the present witliout a mate, 
but wlio will doubtless find his Kve advaneing toward him out of 
the rushes some line morning, when some philanthropie person 
shall have presented her to the Connuissioners. The same good 




L'ALVEKT VAUX. 



service will also lia\-e to be done for tlie Stork, who, in the 
absence of his wife, has foi-sworn all society, and dexotes him- 
self exclusiveh' to sohing the problem, how long he eaii stand 
on one leg, wdtli his bill buried in his l)reast-feathei's. so that 
lie presents the appearance of a ladv's sununer parasol stuck on 
end in the sod. and waiting for an owner. The two 'J'igtn- ]>it- 
terns are ruoi'e sociable, and seem to have some business in the 



lf,( ) PES ( " R I 1' T I ( ) X F T 1 1 K 

world, but tlu'ir iiiauiiers are t(,)0 stately, tlieir steps t(x) meas- 
ured, aud tlieir \va\' of looking at lis out of the side of tlieir 
eve too chilling and eritieal that we should feel any lively in- 
terest in them. The company of the lively little sparrows is a 
vast deal more entertaining. 

]>eside the living animals that eitlier wander at will in the 
Park, and eiijov liie alter their several iashions, or are shnt np 
in the tem|)orary cages that have been provided Jbr them until 
the grouiids and l)uildings oi' the Zoological Gardens shall be 
ready, the Commissioners have laid the tbundation of a collec- 
tion of stutted animals, and liave already placed a considerable 
nund)ei' ol' specimens in the halls of the .Vrsenal. Since we be- 
gan t(_) write the j)resent account this building has been almost 
entirely remodeled, and already presents a xcvy different a])|:)ear- 
ance externally ii-oni that which it has in the earlier sketches 
by A[i'. Bellows. The centi'al part of the building has been 
I'aised a story, and the eight towers have been covered Avith low- 
})itched, eight-sided roofs. Any slight suggestion ()f a militarv 
purpose which the ediiice may have had a year ago, has thus 
been ol)literated, and the interior has, beside, been fitted np to 
serve better than it used to do the })urposes of a mnseum, and 
to gi\e better accommodation to the oftices of the Commission. 
In passing, we may mention that on one of the floors a large 
room at the north end of the building has been appropriated to 
meteorological observations and investigations, under the innne- 
diate direction of a gentleman whr), if appearances go for anv 
thing, is, undoul)te(llv, the original Clerk of the Weather. It 
really gives one a romantic shock, so to speak, to leave the gay 
di-ives and walks of the Park, all alive with stylish teams, and 
turn-outs of the latest rig, with crowds of people dressed in 
the very lieight of the iashi()n of to-day, and to climb to this 
lofty room, wli(>se windows command, not onlv all this festive 
show, a round of gala-davs, but miles and miles, beside, of mod- 



X I-: W YORK r E X T It A r, I> A R K . 1 5 L 

ern wealth ami s|)k'ii<!»>r, mid to tiiui lirrc^ this \\\\\c old-tiuic 
geiith'iiiaii just st<'|)|H'(l out, of the Wavcrly Novels — a very 
Dominic Sampson — V)ejjuin,u" his pardon, witli his (jueer little 
queue, his powdeivd hair, Ins knce-hreeehcs, and worsted stoelc- 
iiifjCs, and low-ent. silver-l)iiel<le(l shoes, and, better still, an old- 
time eonrtesv oi' mamiers sneli as one rarelv meets in tliese 
senr\\- days! Here, all day, and, doubtless, all night, too, ibr 
that matti'r, he lives among his multitude oi' instruments, and 
watches with unwearieil vigilance the whims rmd vagaries of 
his thermometers, l)arometei"s, and rain-gauges, and takes note 
of all Nature's doings with his telescopes, microscopes, and tlie 
whole Stat!" of mechanical detectives, with which we ingenious 
humans have suri-ounde(l the ancient Dame, who must, by this 
time, have begun to despair of ever getting a chance to work in 
secret again. The Counnissiouers have, it seems to us, done a 
verv good thnig in establishing this miniature Observatory in 
the Park, and in default of an establishment such as ought 
surely to l>e found in a cit\' of the size of New York, and 
Vi'ould be, if our I'ellow-citizens were not so wholly, so fatally, 
absorbed m the one pursuit of monev-g-^tting and money-spend- 
ing, this niay serve as a valual)le adjunct to institutions much 
more pretending. Here has been established a system of regu- 
lar meteorological observations, comprising barometrical, ther- 
moinetrical, and hygrometrical observations, as also those show- 
ing the force and direction of the winds, and otlier atmospheric 
phenomena. The report of tlie Commission lor tlu^ vear 1867, 
contained a series of tables showing the results obtainc(l In' these 
observations, on such points as — ^'•The heights of the barometer, 
monthly, during the year ISGT." "The state of the thermometer, 
monthly." " IMie durations and depths of rain and snow, monthly." 
''The number of igneous meteors obscuwed, monthlv." ''The num- 
ber of luminous meteors, monthlv;" and, lasll\-. "The number of 
thunder storms, monthlv, " and the da\s on which thev (x-eurred. 



][ -9 P E S n R I P T I U N I ) F T 11 E 

These observiitious are made useful to the general public by 
being i)ublisluNl at certain regular intervals in the principal 
city journals and scientific periodicals, as well as in the annual 
Reports of th<^ Connnission. 

In the other stories of the Arsenal are the few stufted ani- 
mals which have thus iar l)een presented to the Park, and those 
of the liviug animals in cages which cannot well bear the ex- 
])osure to the open air. The stronger animals, the various foxes, 
the black bears, the prairie-dogs, and the eagles, are in the yard 
(Ml the east side of the Ijuilding. Within, we lind a collection 
already e.xtremely interesting, and sure to become more so when 
jiroper })rovision shall have been made for the reception of 
animals that will hereafter V)e presented. New York, after 
talking the mtitter over for nearly tilty years, has, at last, taken 
the first steps toward the formation of a proper Zoological Gar- 
den, and there is every reason to hope that the next Rei)ort of 
the Connnission may assure us that it is no longer a dn-am l)nt 
an accomplished fact. And it will be interesting to note that 
when we get it, it will prove to be owing directly to the stimu- 
lus given bv the Park authorities to the public desire and curi- 
osity to see and study the animal world— a curiosity as old as 
the oldest man — for Adam was hardly more than created before 
he began to study the animals about him, and give them 
names! From the time when a few cages and enclosed slips 
of lawn near the Mall were a])[)i'0])riated to the score or two 
of birds, moidvcys, and deer, then owned by the Park, it has 
been (widient that nothing could be shown to the people more 
sun- to gratify them, than a fine collection of animals, domestic 
and foi-eiLin. This was the beo'lnning of the new enthusiasm 
for a Zoological Garden, and l)v the securing of Manhattan 
Sjpiare, on the western side of the Eighth Avenue, between 
Seventy-seventh and Eighty-first streets, the only real obstacle, 
namely, want of room, lias been removed, to our having what 



NEW YORK CENTRAL R ARK. I53 

so uumv other great cities have long eiijoved. a e()iii|)lete gard(Mi 
of animals. Nor do we despair of seeing set up in the Ai-sciiul, 
or in some place more suitalilc, a scries oi' atpiarial ca-es, t^alt 
water and fresh, as line as ihat which used to i-edeem Barn urn's 
Museum from the reproaeli of total vulgarity, and elevated it. 
indeed, to tlu^ rank, in that regard, of a real scientific institu- 
tion. After all, tt) establish a collection of a(piaria even more 
complete than that, would be bv no means a difficult undei'- 
taking for the Commissioners, and there would be no reason 
for its not l)eing made a source of revenue to the Park bv the 
sale of small cases containing collections suited to beginners, or 
of the surplus of specimens that might be on hand at the end 
of the year. The Park sells the sheep, the hay, the white mice 
that it does not want; why should it not be allowable to (piote 
the income derived from stickledjacks. sea-anemones, and hermit- 
crabs ? 

These sea-gardens are. however, things of the ihtui-e; mean- 
while, the Commissioners are al)Out to take advantage of a rare 
opportunity to enrich the Park with a collection of models of 
the extinct Fauna, more ])articidarly of those that once inhabited 
this Continent. No doubt, some of our readers have visited 
in England the gardens of the Sydenham Crystal Palace, and 
have been surprised, delighted, it may be frightened, on com- 
ing, entirely unprepared, u})on the models of extinct animals, 
which were constructed, perhaps ten years ago, ibr the pi-o- 
prietors of that wonderful museum, by Mr. Waterhous* Haw- 
kins, a gentleman well known, now in New York, by his i-e- 
niarkal)le lectures on geologv and the antediluvians, deli\-crcd 
in this city during the winter of 1867-S. '•Who that has seen 
them can ever forget the leelinus with -which, on eominu' out 
from the narrow, tunnel-lil<e cut in the rocks, he siiddenlv Ibund 
himself face to l;ic(>. first with one ami tlien with ;inotlier. of the 

gigantic reptiles and quadrujteds that made the aneit^it woi'hl 
20 



\ -,4 D E S C' R I P T 1 X V T 1 1 E 

hideous. Perhaps lie liad read of these inousters with eager 
ciiriositv ill Cuvier, or Lvell, or Mantell, or had seen in the 
British Museum, or elsewhere, tlieir I'ossil remains, wouderiul to 
look at, however crushed or dislocated or incomplete. But here, 
at Sydenham, he stood in their very presence, and received for 
the first time, a living impression of what these creatures really 
were. .And if he stayed long enough to study them, he must 
have come away with a new interest in geology, and with a 
feeling of indebtedness to the clever and learned man \vlio had 
re-created these extinct beings for him, out of the scattered re- 
mains that are left of them.""* Mr. Hawkins, as we have said, 
has been enmia-ed to perform the same sfood office for us that 
he has already jjcrformed for England, and it will not be long 
before we shall have the pleasure of looking at the express images 
of the Mastadon,- Megatherium, Plesiosaurus, and Iguanodon, as 
they lived, and moved, and had their mighty beings, in the far 
av/ay dusk of the |)rimeval ages. Just where tliey are to be 
placed we do not know; perhaps the Commission has not yet 
fully decided where they can be most advantageously built up — 
ay, "built up," that is the word, lor these are to be structures, 
edihces, l)uildings! Nothing less than brick, mortar, stones, and 
timbers can l)e employed to construct creatures beside whom the 
largest of living quadrupeds, reptiles, or birds would have looked 
pigmy and starved. But whatever place may be fixed upon, we 
ho|)e that it will Ite one, as nearly as possible, resembling that 
in the Sydenham flardens, where the surroundings may assist 
the imau'ination of the spectator in takinu' in the idea of these 
monsters and their relations to the actual earth. They will not. 
we trust, be put under cover, or placed on pedestals, or in any 
way made a formal show of Half their efi'ect, we may almost say 
half their usefulness will be destroyed if they are not given a 

* I'liliiam's >[i)ntlih-. ./'///e. IsdS. 



\ 1'". W V ( ) p. K (• K S T UAL 1' A \i K . I5,-) 

lidhihil. ;is iicai' ;is iii:i\' he. like the one tlit'V ciijoved while iu 
the llcsli. When Mr. ll:i\vki)is has lirou^ii'ht us into i1k' \'eiy 
presence wheiv — 

'• Belieinoth, biggest Lorn nf curth, upheaves 
His vastnoss," 

surrounded by all the giant brood that, happily for maTi, are 
long since \anished from his world; and when the long prom- 
ised Zoological Gardens, and the hoped-for Aquaria shall have 
1)een completed, we shall bave in our own New York a worthy 
rival to the famous institutions of London and Paris, the Zoo- 
logical (tardens and the Jardin des J^lantes, and it will Ije our 
owu tault if they do not, iu time, become as lamous as their 
models. 



As we liave several times alluded to the gates of the Park, 
perhaps this will be as good an opportunity as we shall lind, to 
speak of this important subject. U]) to this time, owing to the 
condition of the grades of the two avenues, the p]ighth and the 
Fifth, it lias been considered advisal)le by the Commissioners 
that as little as possible should be done in the matter of the en- 
closing walls of the Park, and that the whole subject of the 
gates giving access to the interior should be postponed until those 
grades slmll liave been irrevocably fixed, and the walls them- 
selves in an advanced state of completion. But, even if we did 
not know the fact to have been so, it would not requii'e anv very 
profound knowleflge of human nature to predictt that a general 
impatience wouhl be li'lt at the prolonged postponement ol' the 
gateways, or that a strong effort would be made to force the 
juiblic, to accept the design of some ambitious indixidual. No 
doubt the patience of the Connnissionei's has been severelv tried 
in the elfoii to I'esist both ijublic and i)rivate iniportunitv, and 



2- (J DESCRIPTIOX OF THE 

thanks an' due tliem l()r this evidence, as for so many others, of 
their determination to refuse their consent to an_y proposition that, 
in tlieir judo'ment, would not serve tlie real interests of tlic pul)- 
lic in the Park. 

"In the month of June, 1803, tlie Board, bv advertisements 
in the newspapers, olfere<l a premium of live hundred dollars 
for the 1)est set of designs for the four gateways in the southern 
boundarv of tlie Park. In answer to the offer of the Board, 
twentv-one designs were submitted, no one of which, after ex- 
amination, seemed to the Board calculated fully to meet the 
expectations of tlie public, though several of them presented 
features of merit. None of them were accepted, and the |)re- 
mium-money was directed to be divided among the competitors; 
subsequently, sketches for the four southerly gateways of the 
southerly boundary of the Park v/ere approved, in their general 
i'eatures, and tlieir erection authorized." These few words in 
their Seventh Annual Report (I8(i3), contain the only allusion 
ever publicly made by tlie Commissioners to a subject which 
gave rise, at the time, to no small amount of newspaper contro- 
versy, and to, at least, one book of considerable pretensions. 

The sketches alluded to in the paragraph quoted above, were 
made by Mr. Richard M. Hunt, an architect of this city. His 
designs were accepted by the Commissioners too hastily, owing 
to a pressure li-om the public for the erection of gates of some 
kind, and to a pressure from within, for the erection of these 
gates in particular. P^3r we are sure that no deliberate and un- 
prejudiced study of them could ever have resulted in their being 
accepted. Without going into details of criticism, it may be 
enough to say, that they were entirely out of keeping with every 
thing else in the Park ; that they called for extensive and costly 
changes in the grades, and in the laying out of the surface of 
the Park directly about them ; and that they were all dependent 
lor any eflect or beauty they were expected to have, upon statu- 



X !•: W vol! K C E X T K A L P A K K . 157 

arv, wliicli, hriiiu' clu'iip niM»ii jtaper. was laim'ly us('(l Ky the de- 
signer, l)ut wlilcli would lia\'e made tlieui, suj)[)()siiig the l»cst 
seul])tors to luivc been employed, expensive beyond all Ijouuds 
of reason. Apart from the sculpture heaped u]X)n ihem, tlicy 
had nothing to reconnnend them to an educated taste, and very 
little to catch even the }H)pular eye. 

While tlie Commission itself might have been divided upon 
this subject, there was found to be very little division in the 
minds of the ])ublic, when the designs were presented to them 
I'or criticism. A certain- popular feeling manifested itself, as well 
by tlie public silence, as by any pointed or spoken speech, against 
the adoption of these designs, and the Commissioners, feeling tliis 
plaiidy enough, determined to wait until they could be satisHed 
that tlie most intelligent public opinion would authorize them in 
carrying out their first intention. They waited, therefore, and 
this delav was fatal to Mr. Hunt's aspirations. Alter every 
o})inion tliat was offered to the B(_)ard, in |)ublic or in private, 
had been examined, there could be but one result discovered — 
a decree of condemnation, and the Commissioners, considering 
themselves the servants of the public, decided to leave the whole 
matter where it was before their call for a competition in 1863. 
In LSI).") — May 11th — at a meeting of the Board, it was formally 
resolved. "That all woi'k on the gateways of the Park be de- 
ferred till the furlher order of the Board.'' And this officially 
closed the whole matter as between Mr. Hunt, the Commissioners, 
and the ]»ublic. 

It is, of course, to be desired that, as soon as is possible, the 
boundary-wall of the Bark should be completed, and gates set 
up at all the entrances. But we venture to hope that the good 
taste thus far shown by the architects of the Park, and l)y the 
Commission will not fail them at this important stage of the 
work, and that in the future, as in the past, they will be strong 
enouuh to avoid everv thina" sa\'orniu: of ostentation, affectation, 



!.■)« 



DKSC Rl I'T lOX i)F THE 



or inciv N'ulu'ar <lis|>lav of oniaiiK'iits and decorative I'eatures with 
iiotliiiig behind, or l)eneatli them, C)i' use. There ouo'ht, in our 
()})inion, to l)e two principal gates on the southern boundarv- 
line : one at tlie soutlieast angle — Fifth Avenue and Fifty-ninth 
Street; the otliei' at the southwest angle — Fiftv-ninth Street and 
Eighth Avenue. Th.e hrst of them is the one to which the 
Commissioners have given the name of the Scholars' Gate: the 
second is to l)e kncnvn as the ^Mei'chants' Gate. The point 
chosen tdi- the Scholars" Gate is distinctly marked by its neigh- 
l)orhood to the pretty "'Pond," as it is called, to distinguish it 




FUND KEAll THE SCHOLARS' GATE.' 



from the larger sheet of water near the Terrace named the Lake. 
The Merchants' Gate is at present indicated by tlie bronze statue 
of Commerce, of which we have already spoken. At both these 
points the ground lias been so shaped and s:raded as to afford 
most favoraliU' positions idr gates as dignified, and as richly 
decorated, as the city can afford. But this cannot be said of 
the greater number of the entrances, nor is it desirable that the 
gates should all be equally magnificent or ex[)ensive. For our 
])art, we confess that we have an objection to the expending of 



X !■: \v ^' ( ) i; K (' i<; x i' u a i, i* a k k . 159 

a H'lvat (leal of 1 Ik jiisilit. or ;i ^Tcat deal nf nioiicv. iijjoii mriv 
<i'aU'\vays. Drcorativc (Icsiiiii, as Kiiskiii lias so well sli;)\vii. he- 
longs to places wlieiX' men rest, where tliev lia\'e leisnre and 
o])portunity to enjoy it. The same law that ordei's decoration, 
es[)ecially such as is deliealeh' minnte, to be plaeed on the lower 
stories oh biiihhng's where it can be stiidied and eiijoye(l, dictates 
that it should not be wastcnl on ])laces whose vvvv ])nrpose for- 
bids that we slu^idd pause in them long enough to a})})reciate 
the artist's skill, oi' to penetrate his thouglit. Such a place is a 
gateway, which, while it ouglit, no doubt, to be distinctly marked 
and clelined, ought rather to make upon the mind some sing](> 
impression of grandeur or beauty, than to call ibr a stay in 
one's walk or drive sufficiently lon_g to study, and understand, 
and enjoy, the minute beauties of its design. There is always, 
perhaps, a certain pleasure in passing under a lofty arch of 
beautifid Ibrm, and gateways of this description admit of great 
variety of design, with the addition of whatever statuary may 
be tlaMight suitable. But, after all, the gateway itself ought to 
be the important thing; it should be both effective and useful, 
should have evidently something more than a merely (M'uameutal 
part to |)lay, and should especially avoid any thing looking like 
an encouragement to loafers, and idle people generally, to linger 
abou.t it, staring and gazing in listless curiosity. The one use 
of a gate is to afford ingress and egress. It may be ni;ide, to a 
c(n"tain degree, commemorative or nionumental, but, so sure as 
we attempt to make it either of these first, and nan-ely useful, 
last, we shall have a result that will be less and less satislactory 
to the ])ul)lie, as good taste becomes more and more extended 
and confirmed. 



We can eithei' leave the HandtU' on the east 1)V descending 
the ste])S cut in the Beh'cih'i-e I'oc'k, and k(M>])iiig to the U>lt, bv 



H'^i ) I) E 8 c R I PT r ( ) X o F T n ?: 

(l()iii,u" wliieli we shall comt' out at the stone earriage-step where 
we entered; or by taking the path that runs along the wry edge 
of the lieservoir. l)etween it and the trallie-road that tunnels the 
hill at this ixtint. Reaehinu' the southeastern an^le of the Res- 
er\'oir. we deseend ra|)idly, and Mud ourselves passing across a 
wide and littledji'oken tract lying between the Reservoir and the 
Fitth Avenue. This lawndike expanse is crossed only by the 
eari'iage-road and the bridle-jiath, wdiich, at one point, ].)asses 
under the drive l)y a very pretty archway, lined with buff and 
red l)ricks, and with picturesque entrances of brown stone. Up 
to wdthin a year or two of the present time tlie Reservoir on this 
side has l)een particularly unsightly, there being nothing to hide 
its bare and roughly constructed H^all wdth the plain picket-fence 
running along the top. But the trees that were early planted 
against it are now well grown, and, in 1866, the Croton Board, 
relaxing a little in their love of the stiff', good-naturedly con- 
sente(l to cut the picket-fence down to a less awkw\ardly con- 
s})icuous height, and even if the Board should not think well 
of the notion of putting a stone railing of agreeable iorni in 
place of the picket-fence, we may hope that nature will soon 
sho\v her entire want of sympathy with these matter-of-fact peo- 
ple by running a l)eautiful Gothic sky-line of tree-tops just above 
the monotonous pickets. This is the only device that can be 
i-elie(, on for esca])e Irom these eyesores, for it is too much to hope 
that the Reservoir itself will ever be done awav with, and, so long 
as it stands, it is, of course, a thing only to be endured, and, as 
much as possible, to he hid. 

Near the northeast angle of the Reservoir, in a triangular })lot 
formed by its wall with the foot-path and tlie third traffic-road, 
is to be placed "The Maze." which will, no doubt, be a very 
popular amusement for children, for whose use it has Inxm es- 
pecially conti'ived. Yet, after all. there was a time, and that a 
very pleasant one, loo, when grown-up jieople enjoyed being puz- 



N J*; W Y R K (J 1<: X T R A I, I' A R K . ]()[ 

zled by ;i Maze, and wlicii no place of aii\' })reteijsi(jns to size and 
grandeiii' was without one. This was in Anne's time and those 
of the lirst (jeorges , and, indeed, the lasliion continued down to 
the beginning of the centurv. Cowper, wdio wrote upon any 
thing and eveiy thing, and whose verse enshrines so many of 
the fashionable follies of the day, like flies in aml)er, made this 
trifle, probably at the call of some one of his many friends: — 

Tin-: MAZi<:. 

From right to left, and to and fro. 

Caught in a labyrinth, you go. 

And turn, and turn, and turn again 

To solve the inys<tery, but in vain; 

Stand sliil and brentlie. and take from me 

A clew that soon .shall set you free ! 

Not Ariadne, if you met her. 

Herself could serve you with a better. 

You entered easily — find where — 

And make, with ease, your exit there! 

At this point, the foot-path strikes into the carriage-road, and 
both together make a rapid curve to the east, in order to reach 
the extremely narrow space that lies between the new Reservoir 
and the Fifth Avenue, and gives access to the upper park. Here, 
too, the drive crosses the third traffic-road, which, passing be- 
tween the two Reservoirs, and following the curvins: southern 
side of the new one, is the least direct in its course of all th(! 
four, issuing on the P'iftli Avenue at Eighty-fifth Street, and on 
Eighth Avenue at Eighty-sixth Street. At the point where the 
carriage-drive crosses the traffic-road, a flight of ste])s with plat- 
forms leads to the fbot-})ath that runs round the new Reservoir. 
As this structure covers an area of one hundred and six acres, 
stretching very nearly from one side of the Park to the other, 
it would have been a serious drawback to the beautv and use- 
fulness of the Park as a pleasure-ground, if thei-e had Ixhmi no 
means of enjoying the sight of this great sheet of water. J>ut 



1(^2 DESCRIPTION OF THE 

a foot-path lias been carrietl rouiul the entire circuit of this in- 
land sea, and the bridle-road also runs round it. though at a 
somewhat lower level than the foot-path, in places. It will be 
seen, on referring to the Plan, that the l)ridle-road, after striking 
directly across the Park at a ]Mnnt nearly opposite the Arsenal, 
and passing three times under the main drive, continues in a 
winding course up tlie western side of the Park, between the 
main di'ive and the Eighth Avenue, until it reaches the north- 
western angle of the smaller Keservoir. Here it divides to right 
and left, completely encircling the new Reservoir, as we have 
said, and. excepting in one or two places where it dips, com- 
numding a view of the water all the way. On the northern 
side of the Reservoir there are three points where this circuit 
can be lett tor the lower level, and it can also be left or entered, 
directly, at the Engineers' Grate — Fifth Avenue and Ninetieth 
Street. At either end of the Reservoir — if a structure so irregu- 
lar in outline may be said to have ends at all — we come upon 
the two water-gates by which the in flow and out-flow of the 
stream is regulated. These gates are very conspicuous, and, 
also, Aery ugly. If they were jjlain. four-square structures with 
ordinary pitched roofs, and mere unornamented openings for 
windows and doors, there would have been no particular fault 
t() And with them, and if we could not, in that case more than 
this, call them handsome, at least we could not call them ugly. 
Ugliness is never a mere negation, it is always positive; and 
these gate-houses are ugly because they };>retend to be decora- 
tive; they olfend by what they have, not by what they want 
Up to this time, engineers all the world over have practically 
insisted on the necessity of a complete divorce between useful- 
ness and beauty. Brought up on the geometry of the schools, the 
geometry of rule and compass, the}" are not aware, that is, they 
act as if they were not aware, that there is any other sort of 
geometry in existence. Yet it may safely be asserted that while 



N 1'] W y () R K E M T 11 A I. P A J! K . ■[ (53 

there is no such thing as a sti'aiuht line iu nature, tlic edg-es of 
crystals «lone exee])te(l. th^TC is also no such tiling on tli(^ suj-- 
face of the earth as an object hounded oi- marked with accurate 
geometric curves; the nearest upprojich to an exception \vith 
which we are accpiainted being tlie in\'olutions of certain shells. 
Scientiti(,'ally, this may be reckoned a loosc> statement, because, 
of course, every curve whatsoever is capable of being reduced 
to geometric laws, but we mt^n to say that all natural curves 
are with great dilliculty reducible to geometric rules, and that 
nature, to S])eak with familiarity, draws with eye and hand, not 
with line and compass. And, again, it is a universal law, that 
nature's beauty is never extraneous, that her ornamentation is 
always structural : and it is capal)le of })roof upon proof; that all 
enduring beauty in human work, and all the best ornament in 
that w^ork, of wdiatever age, has ibllowetl nature's law in this. 
and been structural, not applied; in the nature of the thing, 
not in any outside and removable sliell or coveriiig. 

Now the engineer has not bwn educated to think it nece.-^- 
sary to consider ''l)eauty" in designing his laiiklings. and if, in 
a moment of weakness, he is seized with a desire to rival the 
artist, and -consents to try what he can do to make his work- 
decorative, he is sure to produce some such result as we see in 
these new Reservoir g-atediouses, wdiere the stumpy corner-tur- 
rets are meant to be purely 'decorative, serving m) useful purpose 
whatever. Now^, tintil engineers can l)e brought, l)y education. 
to see that there is n(^ antagonism between use and /'cul beauty, 
we, for our jiai't, would much prefer that they shouhl hold closely 
to their utilitarian theory, and continu-c to swear bv straight lines, 
circles, and arcs of -circles, and even, if they like, to denv the 
existence of beauty altogether. But we caimot helj) tin idling 
that the day must come when engineers, architects, and artists 
everywliere, will strike hands, and works of great public ntiliu 
will no longer necessarily contlict with the higher utility of biing 



I ( ;4 I) K S (; U I r T I ( ) N OF THE 

at ono^ with nature, and liclpin^u', not tliwarting, the spiritual needs 
of mail. We think there is o-ood reason for complaint when a 
l)eautiful landscape is seriously marred hy the erection of some 
useful buildinu'. or other structure, whose engineer has consiil- 
ered the landscape as a matter of no concern whatever. The 
tubular bridge over the Menai Strait, although not a work of 
absolute necessity, may be admitted a useful work, l)ut all trav- 
ellers of taste and feeling are agreed tliat it is one of the ugliest 
structures in existence, and bv its size and conspicuous position, 
a great deformitv in the landscape. We maintain that there was 
no need of this, that if the engineers who contrived it had been 
educated as engineers some day will l)e, they would have thought 
out the problem with an instinct for beauty as strong in them as 
the instinct l()r science, and made the Menai Bridge as lovely as 
Salisburv Spire. Indeed, the greatest engineers the world has 
ever seen w'ere the Gothic arcliitects of the thirteenth and four- 
teentli centuries; thev solved the ]iroblem of coml)ining use and 
beauty perfectly, and their Ijuildings are equally wonderful, 
whether we studv their construction or their ornamentation. 
This talk of ours, the reader will j)lease remember, is taking 
])lace in front of the Engineers' Gate, and therefore cannot be 
objected to as i/K/Iapropo.'^. Nor would we be thought ungrateful 
to the engineers of the Central Park who have done here a vast 
deal of thorough and intelligent work, much of which is hid from 
the jiublic eye, and can only be valued at its worth by those who 
look dee])er than the surface. 

The road that runs along the eastern side of the new Res- 
ervoir is })lanted on each side with a double row of trees, wdiich 
have already made a tine growth, and, in time, this part of the 
main drive will pleasantly match the Mall, which it even now 
reseml)les. The Commissioners had, here, a real difficulty to sur- 
mount, and they have done it cleverly, as we liave already seen 
them do many things in other ])arts of the Park. The problem 



N K W Y () II K E X T R A I, 1' A K K . 1 05 

was. io use to the best inlvaiitaiie the ext]-eiiiely narrow and 
elongated soaee between the new lieservoii- ami the Filth Ave- 
nne. The whole widtli Itrtween the eastern edge of the lieservoir 
eo|)ing and the Park wall, is two hundred feet, and the length 
of road running along tlie Ivesvrxoir on tliis side is, as near as 
we can make it, two thousand feet. The space is, thus, by no 
means well projiortioned, yet, in it, the Commissioners have se- 
cured a foot-path, a l)ridle-road, and tlie extremely i)retty car- 
riage-dri\e over which we are now trotting leisurely l)ehind our 
imaginary team. The Ibot-patli we have already alluded to; it 
runs close around the edge of the water, only se})arated irom it by 
the coping of cut stone with its iron railing. The round of this 
Reservoir makes an admirable '"constitutional:"' the walk is in 
good order in almost all weather, and a tine l)reeze is pretty 
sure to be stirring up liere, no matter how calm it may be below. 
So large a bodv of water may generally be reckoned on I'or waves 
of its own, and occasionally we have had the |)leasure of being 
well dashed WMth s])ray. The wind lias to be high, however, to 
acconijdish this. From all points, the view^ is line, and it is a 
glorious place from which to see sunsets. Many a time have we 
taken this walk for no other end but to enjoy the evening sky, 
and we must always have clieerlul memories of a place that, 
after wearv days spent in the dirty city, has so often lifted us 
into an atmosphei-e where all unpleasant ex[)eriences were, for a 
time, forgotten. Next to the foot-])atli but not, like it, always 
on one level, runs the bridle-])ath, also encircling the Reservoir. 
Mi<lw^av on this eastern side, it can be left for the cai-riage-road. 
or fi)r the Engineei's' Gtite, aud there are several other [)laces 
wheiv it can be left or entci-cd at the horseman's pleasni-c. Our 
nari'ow space of four hundred feet has. thus far. generously ai-- 
connnodated two ])aths: the remainder is occupicil l)y the car- 
riage-drive. This portion of the di'ive it was necessary to make 
perlectlv straight, and it is the oidy jilace in the Park where the 



1(30 DESCRIPTION OF THE 

Commissioners have not been able to avoid putting temptation- 
in the way of the owners of fast horses. Fast driving is not only 
forbidden by the rules, but the roads have everywhere been 
laid out with such curves as to rob racing of its charms. Here, 
however, is a smooth, level, excellently ])aved course of two 
thousand feet in length, and it is not to be wondered at that 
men who own trotters are, every little while, found unable to 
I'esist the temptjition to delv the Commissioners and let their 
horses try their mettle. The police in this part of the Park 
has to be constantly on the alert, and the crop of arrested Jehus 
is always hue in this quarter. In ibur years, 1863-66, the num- 
ber arrested for last driving was somewdiat greater than that of 
those arrested for all other offences })ut together, lieing as 232 to 
209, althougii this was not a very large number when all the 
tenn)tations to disobedience are taken into account. In truth, 
the arrests in the Park, taken altogether, are much fewer than 
Avould l)e expected, and it would seem by the reports that they 
decrense yearly in proportion to the wdiole number of visitors; 
at flll events, they do not increase. Thus, in 1866, the arrests 
were only in the proportion of 1 to about 75,000 visitors, wdiile 
in 1867, the ])r()portion was only 1 to about 60,000. Those ar 
rested for last driving are immediately taken before the nearest 
magistrate In' the policeman making the arrest, and are fined, 
otf-hand, ten dollars. It is gratifving to be able to state that 
the magistrates, almost without exception, stand by the Park 
authorities, and when the offence is proved, exact the fine with- 
out fear or favor. In New York, where justice is administered 
almost exclusively as a rew-ard ibr agreement in political opin- 
ions with the jndge, or as a punishment for political difterences, 
and is only looked upon as an expedient for securing votes, the 
fact that judges can be relied upon to fine Democrats and Republi- 
cans alike, and to [)revent the Park from la|)sing into a sporting 
groimd for roughs, is, certainly, worthy of being specially noted. 



N K W Y O R K (' I-: \ T R A L P A 1! K . 167 

Once ;it tlie ond ot" this ;i\('iiiu', we lui'u i-apidly to the left, 
ami lind uurschi'S l;url\' in the upper jiark. Now tliat the lower 
div'ision is so nearly completed — hardly any ihiui;- i-cniaininL;' to 
be done there Imt to iinisli certain ai'chiicctui'al structures, such 
as tlie Terrace, and the sej)arate ])lay-liouses Idr the l)oys, girls, 
and little children — the Commissioners ai'c pushiuL;; on the im- 
provements in th(^ upper portion of the area. .Vll over the l^ark, 
we believe, the roads and foot-paths are either eoiupleted, or in 
a lair wav to be so, and onlv need to l)e kept in repair. All 
the solid work, the foundation, is done, and time, and the new 
needs of the hour, will develop the ornamented points. Up to 
this time, as ap[)etirs by the last report, the eleventh, the total 
expenditures for the Park, from May 1st, 1857, to Jannary 1st, 
1868, have amounted to five million, one hnndred and eighty 
thousand, two hundred and ninety-nine dollars, and eleven cents, 
leaving a balance in the treasury of one hundred and twenty-six 
thousand and seventy-six dollars and tifty-one cents. We doubt 
if so large a sum of money was ever more judiciously expended 
by any government, for the culture and enjoyment of the people; 
and no less are we to be congratulated on the exceptional fact, 
that, from first to last, the management of the Park has been so 
prudent, so honest, and so wise, that it has never been called in 
question bv any persons speaking with authority. When, in 
1861, a committee w^as appointed, at the instigation of a few 
malcontents — disa[)pointed ex-commissioners and discharged offi- 
cers — to examine into the affairs, condition, and progress of the 
Park; the report of the committee was unanimous in its ap- 
proval of all that had been done, and commended the entire 
management of the Park to the Legislature and people of the 
State. It may be added that this committee was peculiarly com- 
petent to the examination it was set to make, being composed of 
the Hon. John McLeod Murpliv, widely known as an engineer of 
skill and experience, the Hon. Allen Monroe, an experienced rner- 



u^ 



D E S (J R I P TI X OF THE 



chant and banker, and tlie Hon. Francis M. Eotcli, a vice-president 
ol' the New York State Agricultural Society, and a well-known 
agriculturist. 

The portion of the Park that seems to be the least advanced 
is the n^gion lying between the northern end of the new Res- 
ervoir, Ninety-sixth Street, and the vicinity of the Museum at 
Mount St. "Vincent, One-IIundred-and-Second Street. Just be- 
yond this point, the grounds look more trim, and, as the carriage 




THE MUSEUM AXD RESTAURANT FKUM HAULEM MEEU. 



stops at the nniseuni, tlie visitor observes with pleasure that tliis 
building which, not a great while ago, was a forlorn barracks, 
has been made bv the hand of cai'e and taste to assume a very 
agreeable appearance, a ti"u]y domestic air, to which its irregular 
shape and rambling ro(nns are found quite conducive. We have 
called this a museum, l)ut it is rather a large restaurant, the 
museum being only that portion of the building formerly occu- 



X K \V Y () II K ( ; K X T i: A 1 , 1 ' A R, K . I ( )<) 

pied by the eli;i})el ol' tlie eoiueiit. This is hlleil, ;it present, 
with the casts of the late Mr. Crawford's \arious sculptures, 
which were presented to the Central Park hj his widow, in 
1860. There are, in all, eighty-seven of these casts, consisting 
of statues, bas-reliefs, and sketches, and as they are arrangc^d 
in this large and ample hall they present quite an imposing ap- 
pearance, and ])rove a great attraction to multitudes of people. 
The sculpture-gallery can be entered directl}^ from the house, 
or l)v an elevated gallery, roofed, but open on each side, wdiich 
connects it with the opposite end of the l)uilding. From this 
gallery, and from the balconies of the bouse, a line view is ob- 
tained of tlie northeastern corner of the Park, and of the city in 
that direction. As we eat our ices, w^e look down upon the 
lawns with their rococo beds of flowers, their fountains playing 
airy tricks like their neighbors of the Terrace, and, lieside these, 
the nursery and kitchen-garden, where persons of a rural turn 
of mind may learn the look of vegetables when growing. Here 
the citizen, wdiose education has been neglected, may learn that 
cabbages do not grow upon bushes like roses, that green peas 
are not the fruit of a tree, and that tomatoes are not produced 
by nature, ]-eady canned. Information of this kind is at once 
so rare and so viduable, that we cannot doubt the Commissioners 
have done well in appropriating this patch for its dissemination. 
Indeed it serves a double use, ibr, as the Eleventh Report as- 
sures us, "The vegetables wdiieh, wliile growing, serve the pur- 
jwse of instruction, are used, when ripe, to feed the animals." 

The Restaurant, to w'hich the main body of this building is 
devoted, is one of the pleasantest places of the kind in the city 
or near it. There are large rooms with many tables for those 
who like a crowd, and there are small i-ooms with few tables, or 
only one, for those who wish to enjoy, in private, the society 
of their friends. Then, there are \\\o piazzas, the balconies, and 

the open grounds, where creams, ices, and light relivshments can 
22 



17U 



DKyCKlPTlOX OF THE 



be eiijo\'c(l in the Tresli air, and thus it would seem that every 
taste must l>e suited. Tlie grass and ilowers are beautiful, and 
well cared for, the fountains till the air with coolness and pleas- 
ant sound, and, beibre long, a band equal to tliat in the lower 



.-H^ 






^'^ 






park will discourse as eloquent 
music, and divide with that, the 
suffrages of the crowed. 

Just beyond tlie Restaurant- 
Museum the road makes a sharp 
double turn, keeping inside the 
line of the old fortifications, and 
skh'ting the edge of the Ilarlem 
Meer. yet not so closely but that a foot-path ■ leaving the kitchen- 
gai'dcii has room to run to the earth-woi-ks. and to pass between 
It and thi' shorr. of the Meer. Ilavina" crossed the slender arm 



MARI.EM MEER. 



N K w Y R K r; i<: n t h a l i- a i; k 



17J 



of water that connects the Loch and the ^Iccr, 1)\- a liridoc, the 
road keeps on. nearly straight, to the end of the J*;irk. and alter 
two turn-outs for the gates at tlie Sixth and Seventli avenues 
continues to the Eighth Avcmuu^ JH'gh-, and tlicn JKHrins its re- 
turn to the h_)wer park. 

The body ol' water co\ei-ing an area of ]icai-]\- tliirteen acres, 
and appropriately called the llarlem Meer, thus retaining a name 
connected with tlie early historv of the island, is lornied, like the 




Vv^ ,. 



IIAKI.KM MEEI! AND "I.P H il; | 1 1- IrATrn 



n'i[ i;KsiAri!ANr. 



Terrace Lake, hy collecting the (h'ainage oi' one of the valleys 
that cross the Pai-k. \Yv have alnwlv ])asse(l two of thes(> in 
our drive, and this one is the third and Inst. The valley ex- 
tends in a diagonal, quite from one side of the Pai'k to tlie 
other, and the water collected liv springs and suriace (h-ainage 
is made to do duty here, as in tlie other vallevs. in ornamentation, 
t=o as to unite heauty and use. The water first ;i])])(\irs on th(> 



IJO I) E S (' K I P T 1 ( ) N F T 11 E 

westei'Ji side of tlu^ Park opposite Oiie-IIuiidred-;nid-Fir.st Street, 
and so near tlie Louudary as only to admit a loot patli between 
it and the wall ; liere it is spread ont into a small expanse, 
wliicli lias been called the Pool. A small rnmiel connects this 
with another expanse, longer in shape tlian the Pool, and with 
steeper sides, to which the name of the Loch has been given, a 
little ambitiously, as it seems to tis. But, to get names for these 
places, which are entirely appropriate, is by no means eas}^, and 
we are not disposed to fault-finding. Another stream, somewhat 
longer than the former, connects the picturesque little Loch with 
the large and spreading Meer, the surplus water of which is cari'ied 
off by the city sewers. The eastern end of the ILirlem Meer 
extends from One-IInndred-and-Sixtli Street to within a few feet 
of One-nundred-and-Tenth Street, the limit of the Park on the 
north. A foot-path runs round the whole water, and at two 
points there are small beaches. This makes, in winter, a fine 
skatmg ])ond, accommodating nearly as many skaters as the 
Teri'ace Lake. Owing to its gi-eater distance from the city 
|)ropei-, it has not been so much frequ.ented as the lower water, 
but, in time, there will be but little difterence in the number 
of peo])le who will seek both of them, thronging in from either 
end of the island. Along a portion of the southern border of 
the JMeer the shore rises quite abruptly, and the summit is 
crowned by the remains of the earth-works erected during the 
war of 1812. These have been neatly turfed, and the surface 
retained, as nearly as possible, in its original sliape, so that this 
makes a pretty station from which to survey the spreading water 
at our feet. 

The di'ive in this upper portion of the Park is much more 
winding and irregular than in the lower part : it is particularly 
circuitous in the northwestern cpiarter, Avhere. at times, it be- 
comes mildly })icturesqne. and has really a great deal of beauty 
and vai'ietx'. On a ri)ck\' summit ncai' the northern boundary 



N E W Y K K C K N 1' R A L 1' A 1! K . 



178 



Still stands a stone Block-House — called so, we presume, Ironi 
its rectangular shape — used either as a magazine or as a ibrtili- 
cation, probably tlie lattei", iu the waj' of 1S12. It made a point 
in the line of defences that crossed the island here, and of which 
abundant other traces i-emain at points farther west. It had be- 
come a rcce|)tacle for rubbish, but the Conjmissioners caused it 
to be cleared out, aiul a simple stairs put up o:i the inside in 




BLOCK-HOtlSE. 



oid( 1 lo ( nabk tlu \ \^\^- 
or to mount to a ])1 it- 
foim nt the top hom 
whence a beautiful view 
is obtained, east, west, 
and north and south. 
The Hudson River and East River, with their opposite shores; the 
Harlem plain or flats, crossed by the new avenues and Boulevards ; 
Mount Morris, the new square which was put under the charge of 
the Commissioners, and then, for no reason that can be got at, 
taken away from them; the slopes of the south(>rn sides of the 
valley in which Manhattanville lies, and on which the much- 
talked-of Morning-side Park is to be laid out: oii the east, the 
arches of the Viaduct for the New IIa\en Railroad, seen in <Mir 



174 



D E S C R I P T I N () F T 11 E 



cut: then, IJir uvvav to the north, the noble lligh Bridge, with 
its h^t'tv arches phiinly seen, and Ijcyond, llirther and iartlier, the 
swelling u})hinds (_)t' \Yestchester, a blue-gray mist under the noon- 
thiy sun. 

In this [)art of tlie Park, the suri'ace of tlie gro'ind is strewed 
with hirge l)owlders, and the rocky stratum that underlies the whole 
Park, and which, as we have bel'ore remarked, crops out, or did 
originally crop out, over almost every square foot of ground, 







'-^(^"P^ i 



VIEW NEAR BI.OfK-HOUSE, LOOKING EAST. 



has been allowed to show itself here in considerable masses 
rising out of the green turf, or by the sides of the walks, witli 
flowers encircling their base, and vines of honevsuckle. and wis- 
teria, and the wild grape clim])ing all al)out tlieni. The main driv(^ 
encircles the tract in which the most of these rocks are found, 
leaving the walks among them to be enjoyed by persons on foot. 
In time this pretty. ])icturesque spot will be second in its attrac- 
tions only to the Ramble; at ])resent. the vines and shi-ul)S liave 
Jiot made a sullicient growth, and the place is too far off fii- 



\ K W Y I ) i; Iv < ' K X T i; A I. 1' A \i K . 175 

tlioso wlio live' south oT llic P:\vk. hut l\iv views iVoui it ai'c 
liner now tliau thcv will Ix' in ten years, ior hy tliat time we 
iiiav h)()k ior tlie I'isiuu Ih^od of flie city to ha\'e s\vall()we(l up 
whatevei" there is lelt of Lirass and trees and ^u'ai'den ij'round 
between tliis and Harlem, and there wmII he nothiuL;' lelt lor 
us to see from this heiii'ht but the bricks and moilar of tJK.^ 
city. 

AVitliin the last year a small spring has been opened in the 
rocky ground east of the Block-House, and its overllow has been 
so husbanded as to make a slender stream that runs with a musical 
tinkle down the slopes, falling from one rock}' or reedy basin to 
another, until, at length, in a series of pretty miniature cascades, 
it reaches a circulai" pool on the level ground at the foot of the 
hill. Just at present, the surroundings of tiiis streamlet are 
somewhat bare, but, in a year or two, when the water })lants 
are fairly growing, and the climbing vines have been won to 
run this way, and the l)irds that haunt such streams have iound 
tlu! road hither, there wdll have been added to this }»oi'tion of 
the Park all that it needed before, to make it as picturesque as 
the neighboring Ravine, to which it is designed to ser\'e as an 
artistic balance and contrast. 

A path leads down by I'ockv steps to the Harlem Mi^er. I'roni 
wdiicli we turned oft" to look at the Block-House, and to enjoy 
the view li-om its top. Following this path, and reaching the 
walk that I'uns along the western side of the Meer, we come to 
tlie stream of which we have before spoken as di'aiuiiig tlu^ north- 
ernmost of the yalleys that cross the Park. A light bridge crosses 
the sti'eam, and the path leading on bv tlie Avater side lor two 
hundred feet or so, we come to a, pictuivs(pie bi'idge bv which 
the carriage-road is enabled to cross both the I'oot-path and the 
brook. It is forme(l of large stones piled ruilelv together, and 
ii;)rming a ratlier savage and dangei'ous looking tumiel. under 
wdiich we pass Ibi- t!ie lirst lime with not a. little inward mis- 



17*) 



I) K S C R 1 P T ION F T II K 



niviiio-, wliieli iiotliing l)ut our eoiiiidcuce in the skill of the 
Pni-k' eno-ineer.s enables us to overcome. The rocks are not 
laid ni mortar, l)ut are held in place by their weight alone, and 






V V 



^^i 




EOCKT BRIDGE IN RAVINE. 



an ample, comfortable seat of rustic wood-work enables us to get 
];)leasantly accustomed to the horror of the situation while we 
eat our luncheon. Over all such structures as this, the art of 



N I-: w y <.) R K ( ' i<: x i' u a l r a r k 



177 



the Park gardener lutsteiis U) throw some veil of bloom or ver- 
dure that, ill time, will take away, lor timiil people, the look 




of danger, and will recon '^ 

oile the artist to wliat = 

would else seem too liaie _— - 

and bleak for such Mir- ^^^^^=^ 

roundmgs. Alread\ the '^ — 
Cobea, a rampant and 
showy climber, wdth its 

curious purple bell-flow- .ascade above the p.ockt AnnnvAV. 

ers is beginning to clothe these rocks, and before long the more 
hardy vines wnll have covered the wdiole ai'cliway. 

Passing through the Tunnel, we come upon an extremely 

23 



178 



I) E S C R I P T I ( ) N OF T H K 



prettv cascade wliicli falls into the upper end (_)!' a spreading 
|)Ool. A f()ot-])atli leads oft' from the main one upon which we 
are walking, and brings us to a point where -we can get a better 
view of tlie tumbling watei'. Close hy is a spring welling out 
of the rock, with a friendly cup suspended, and the path that 
has led us to this pool will take us, if we follow it, up the op- 
posite side of the hollow to another walk that runs, like the 




MIE Al' IIEA1> 



one we lelt. along the border of the Loch, but not so near its 
shore. 

Taking either of these paths, and they both meet again at 
the head of the Loch, we get a view of this pretty piece of 
water which should liave a colony of wild ducks of its own to 
V)e in keeping with its name. It is a longish stretch of water, 
with its steep sides in a way to be well wooded before many 



N 1^: W Y 11 K ( ; E N T R A L P A U K . 



179 



years, and tbougli it is calm and tranquil riionuli I'T nearly all its 
length, reflecting the trees that hang about it, and the hlue of 
the overarching sky, \vhil(> the snow-white swans, whose home 
it is. 

■'Flout- lioiiMc, swan and sliadow.'' 

But, towai'd the IJirther end, where it receives the water of the 
running stream that (lows from the Pool, the smooth suriace 



f .^^ 




■,y>[V^ 



i;kii)G£ oveu the caw 



of the Loch is i-uftled l)y the tumble of two cascades, one of 
which is made by the main stream seeking a lower level, and 
the other by a small runnel that flows into the Loch from the 
wooded hillside at the left. The visitor sliould not fail to leave 
the walk he has been following, at this point, and trace the 
smaller of the two streams to its source, not very remote. 

The path leads up the bushy slope almost at right angles 
to the walk that follows the margin of the Loch, and the visitor 



180 



DESCRIPTION OF THE 



lias hardly gone nianv steps beyond the first cascade before he 
hears the low thunder of another, and evidently a larger one. 
Pushing on, he hnds himself, aftei- a sliort walk, in one of the 
prettiest of the many ])rettj nooks, of which there are so many 




-'...^\ 






SABRINA S POOL, NEAR THE RAVINE. 



in the Park; yet, charming as is the place, Ave had passed many 
a day in the Pavine, and had often sat with book or luncheon 
within a few hundred feet of it, l>efore av(^ discovered its ex- 
istence. After once or twice crossing the stream that bubbles 
so pleasantly, half hidden by the leaves, the })ath widens, and 
we see, at the left hand, an ample seat of rustic-work, whose 
cozy ins-and-outs answer to the irregularities of the large rock 
against which it is placed, and wliich is almost entirely covered 



N !•: W YORK C E N T R A L I' A R K . 181 

from siglit by a caiiopv ol' wild vine. Diivctly opposite this, 
the pretty cascade sliowii in our cut tails into a. circular basin 
over a rocky wall, the clefts and crannies in wdiich are set thick 
with mosses and branching- ferns, while the side of the basin next 
the path is bordered with a bright cii'cle of the ilowcrs that love 
the neighborhood of water. Here, in tlie spring, we come to find 
the iris and the dog-tooth violet; and, later, the cardinal-flower 
lightens up the shade with its splendid bloom. The place is so re- 
moved from observation by being oft' the accustomed walk, that one 
might easily sit here for hours together, and read or sketch without 
seeing any other visitor, unless it were the grey rabbit, who lives 
hereabouts, and who sometimes comes hopping along the path ; or 
the rol^in, who has Ijuilt her nest in this hazle-brake, and wdio, 
if we are very quiet, will even pick up our crumljs lor her chil- 
dren's dinner; or the dark butterflies, who hover over these beds 
like flowers over flowers : or, best of all, the hunnning-bird, who 
darts suddenly out of space at the rosy blossoms of this great 
Weigela-bush twenty times in an hour, and if he happens to find 
another of his i'amily here before him, will treat us to as pretty 
a figlft, as fierce and determined as if he and the other little ball 
of green and gold lire were human beings contending tor a con- 
tinent. With such sights we can amuse ourselves in this shaded 
retreat ; and if it were not tor the occasional rumble of a carriage 
ovei- the road near at hand, we might easily forget the neighl)or- 
hood of the noisy citv. If we follow the path a little farther on, 
we come to this archway of cut-stone, wdiich leads us under the 
drive that crosses the Park uearly on a line with One-Hundred- 
and-Second Street, connecting the two main drives ruiming north 
and south on either side of the Park, and issuing upon the two 
bounding avenues l)y the '"Girls"" and "'Poys''' gates. This 
archway is very low, and by no means cheerful ; but its want 
of height gives it a quaint look that is in keeping with the sur- 
rounding objects. Foi- this nook has an asp(>ct ditferent from 



IS'^ 



D K S ( J R I r T I N F T H J*] 



;i!iv tluii<>' else ill the Park, and pleases bv its unexpectedness 
lis well as by its picturesquenass. The darkness of the archway 
too makes tlie sunlighted landscape seen from either end more 
bright; we look out upon the world as from a cavern. And, 
in time, it will be still more like a cavern, tor it is fast being- 
overgrown with the trailing vines |)lanted above its mouth, and 
the tives and shrubs overhead, and al)(jut its sides, already con- 
ceal a large part of the stone- work. On entering the archway 




ARCH IIVE.'S FOOT-PATH NEAR RAVINE. 



we hardly lose the sound ()f the lirst cascade before we hear the 
i-iniibliiig of a second, and presently come upon it at the farther 
end of the tunnel, on the left hand side of the entrance. This 
cascade falls over rocks into a rocky basin, and is at present less 
attractive than the one at the other end, because the vines and 
shrubs and water-plants, the fenis and mosses, have not had time 
to grow, and solten the rude outlines of the stones. The water 
from this basin, after passing under the foot-path, and also under 
the bridle-jiath and carriage-drive, reissues at the northern end 



N 1-; W V () R K C K N T R A L 1' A R K . 



183 



of tlie tunnel, and, lalling over the hunk, makes the eascade be- 
fore whieh we sat so lonu;, watching the bntterthes ;nid huiuuiing- 
l)irds. The wav in whieli this hijnid pi'ohK'ni is soKcd, does 
not, at lirst, apjiear to the iiiiinitiatech to whom the two cascades 
appear to tidl iVom nearly the same level, and many will lind 
it Wiv more interesting and instructive to spend a lazy hour in 
makinu' out how the inu'cnious euGfiueers have conti'i\-e(l this 



S-=tf-=S'^-<r~7F '^T7> ' 







BRinOK KOIi rARRIAGK-ROAD OVER RAVINE. 



puzzle, than in feeding i-abbits and robins, or following the 
victories of quarrelsome hunnningd)irds. 

As this path, if f()llowed fiu'thei-, will oidy \ow\ us away from 
the Ravine, and as there arc no objects of peculiar interest in tins 
neighborhood beyond the dell with its twin cascades, we will 
retrace our steps, and seek again the head of the Loch. The 
foot-|)ath, after passing a turn-ont leading over the rustic bridge 
which spans the small cascade, of which we gave a picture on page 



134 DESCRIPTIOX OF THK 

178, continues hj the side of a narrow runnel connecting the Loch 
with the much larger Pool. Near the upper end of this runnel, 
and just before it widens into the Pool, we come to a singular 
bridge crossing both the foot-path and -the water, a combination 
of rustic wood-work and stone-masonry that seems to us by no 
means in good taste. It is ugly in its design, the lines being 
neither beautiful nor strong; and, although we have no doubt it 
is thoroughly well luiilt, and capable of bearing all the pressure 
that it will ever be called upon to bear, it does not look strong, 
and this apparent weakness is fatal to ;uiy claims that may be 
made for it on the score of design. As the abutments are very 
solid, we hope the Commissioners will before long throw an arch 
vi' stone over this foot-path, and the stream of water that runs 
beside it. Apart from any cpiestion oi' taste, tliis bridge is an 
object of considerable curiosity. On the left hand side of the 
foot-path, in a recess of the abutment of the bridge, is a large and 
comfortal)le seat made of cedar branches and twigs, from which 
the bark has been removed, and in the opposite abutment an 
airiple arched recess contains a huge boulder, whose smooth face 
is kept continually black and moist with the drip of water from 
springs in the l)ank above. Water-loving plants are gradually 
making a lodgment in the clefts and crannies of this rough 
masonry, and it is likely that before long the whole interior of 
the archway will l>e transformed into a cool green grotto, a place 
into which the summer heats will be afraid to come, for fear of 
taking cold. 

It is pretty, too, sitting on this comfortable sola, to look out 
upon tlie waterflill that, in a succession of plunges from the higher 
waters of the Pool, gains the seclusion of the basin on tlie other 
side of the archway. When an abundance of rain has fallen, and 
the Pool is full, this fall is perhaps the finest in the Park, but it is 
rarely too low to be unattractive. Indeed, the natural drainage 
of the ground, with the husbanding of the springs, secures to all 



X !•; \V V <> I! K (• K X T i; A L 1' A ?> 



ISo 



tlio wat(>rlalls, as ti> all the slicrts ol' watci', larg(^ ami small, 
tliroiiiiiioiit tlic Parle, an ahiiiulaiit sii[)|)l\' cN'eri in seasons of 
drought, 

Bv crossing the l)i'i(lge that spans this cascade, we c;in continue 
our walk on the other side ol' the l*ool. or we can kec]) to that on 
which we began, if we pi'eler. A glance at the niap will show 




nUSTIU ClilKGE AXr> rASl'ADE IS UAVINE. 



that the walks are so an-anged as to pei-niit the visitor to make 
the circuit of all the three pieces of water, the Pool, the Loch, and 
the Meer. which drain this northernmost ol" the trans\-ei-se valleys 
of the Park. Not that the path eontinnally keeps to the verv 



1.S6 



r> E S C lU P T I X 1'' T II K 



border of the water; soinetinies it leads us to a considerable 
distance Irom it, but rarel_y so far that we are not in sight of it, 
and, even then, only for a moment. Xor are we ever long; without 
coming to one of the six l)ridges that enable us to cross from one 
side to the other, and thus perpetually to vary our walk. It must 
be remcm])ercd, too, that at the time we are writing the whole 
northern hnlf of tlie l^irk is fav Irom being finished, and that 
every year, foi' some years to eome, the Commissioners will be 
addino- to tlie attractions and to the variety of this neia:hborhood. 




THE ronr.. 



Naturally, it is a region much more capable of picturesque treat- 
ment than the lower i)ark, or than that jtortion of the u|)per park 
that lies near the Great Reservoir. In the northwestern cjuarter, 
for example, there is a profusion of scattered boulders beside a 
great quantity of iixed rock, and this gives opportunity to the 
Commissioners to open new paths, almost everj^ season, in and 
out between these clefts and among these craggy irregularities. 



THK NKW" VOHK CllNTRAL J' A I! K 



18- 



Sucli a walk has been opiMicil, siiicA' llic truth r('j)()rt wa^: issued, 
across the space thickly strewn with Koiihlcrs, which lies alon^u" 
the western end of the Meer and the stream that eonneets it with 
the Loch. It is an extremely pretty rural path, and reseinljles 
some of tliose we find in the Ramble, exee})t that it is much 
wilder. 



The Po(_)l is a larger sheet of water than the JjOt-h. and much 
more irregular iu its shape. A hu'gc house, probabK' ueeu^ned 










ilN THE rOOl, I.dUKIXIi NclliTHWERT. 



by some of tlic people employed iu the Park, stands at some 
distance from it, but on rising ground, so that it is easily seen ii-om 
the walk at fre([uent points. Indeed, it app'nirs nuieh nearer to 
tlie Pool than the map shows it to be. and the northern side of 
the Lake looks, in i)laces. lilce the lawn stretehing down from the 



1S8 



PESC R r PTI () N OF T II E 



lu)iisc to tlie water. Tlieiv is a small rockv island in one place, 
and ])ortioiis of the shore arc sonicwliat rockv. while at tlie eastern 
end there is a niiniatnrc l)each, where one may always be pretty 
sure of lindinsi' the ducks and some (jucer geese or other, oiling 
their plumage ibi' anotlier plunge into this water, of which they 
have the monopoly, as against all the little boys in the world 
longing to (Miiulate them in swimming. The paths on either 
side the Pool are united by a cross ]»ath at the western end, and 
are both led to the ''Boys' Grate," opposite One Hundredth Street. 



v^^ 




OLD HOUSE BY RESERVOIR. 



Another walk, liowever, leads us farther south, and enables us to 
continue our ramble within the limits of the Park. 



The road now runs on the western side of the Park, skirting 
the wide tract of open ground called the Meadows, then crossing 
the fourth traffic-road for the second time, and winding in and 
out among the thickly planted trees of the open space between 
the old Reservoir and the Eighth Avenue. This portion of the 
road the Conunissionei's intend for a winter drive, and they have 
aceonhngly planted a great nund^er (_tf evergreens on either side. 



T u K X i<: w V () i: ic c i: x t r a l p a r 



189 



not luoiiotoiioiislw l)iit willi piciitv of a!ii'i'(.':il)lc, opi'ii space, 
clustering tlieni thickest on the lam I that slopes Iroiu the Reser- 
voir. Near the Reser\-(»ir, in tli(> northeast coiMicr ol' tliis par- 
allelograni. Conncrh' stood an old honse of considerable size, 
surrounded 1)\- large willows. Tliis has lately heen removed, 
the Croton A<[uednet Txtard. which owned it and used it as 
a dwelling I'or some ol' the persons em[)loyed in its ser\ice in 
connection with the two lieservoirs, having erected a ntnv dwell- 
inL;'-h(.)Use of stone i-in the i^-round between the ohl Kes(U-\'oir and 




SLEICHIN'C UV 'I'lIK WILLOWS. 



the fourth trallic-road. The old Avilh)ws that surrounded the 
iormer house have been allowed to stand, and. witli theii- irregular 
forms and drooping foliage, make a ]>ietures(pie contrast with the 
evergreens that surround them. 

The portions of the Park on either side of tiie old Reservoir 
are arranged with a good deal oi' skill, to make that structure as 
littU^ of an *'ve-<oro as po.-^silile. hut the ti'catment of tlu^ western 



190 



D E S (' R r r 'J' 1 O X O F T ]1 E 



side is at present I'ar more elteetive, l)()tli in itself and for tlie end 
proposed, than that of tlie eastern. l>ut. witli skilful planting, the 
two sides will no doul)t l)efore long Ijeconie very nearly equal, 
though it will hardly ever be })ossible to make the existence of 
the Reservoir Ibrgxjtten altogether. The plan shows that the space 
on the west is much more cut u}) with walks and drives than the 
eastern ; the carriage-ride and the horse-path run quite apart, and 
the foot-paths are almost as winding here as in the E-amble near by. 




>^ji»i(" 



HALCOKY BRIDGE, WEST SIIIK. 



As the drne passes 
along the western snle of 
the Lake, it crosses the 
Balcony Bridge, of which 
we spoke in our earlier 
pages, while to the right 
hand, between this bridge and the Eighth Avenue, the foot-patli 
crosses the pretty rustic bridge seen in our cut, and just before 
reaching the B;dcony Bridge, the foot-path at the left crosses the 
elegant bridge of (\ak and iron, and enters the Raml)le near the 
Cave. 

Southwest of the Lake, the drive, after dividing and [)assing 
round the oblong piece of ground on which the Restaurant for gen- 
tlemen more ])arti('ular]y is to be erected, unites again to divide 
immediatelv, and turns to left and right. The road to the right 



N E W ^■ O I'. K ( ; K N T K A L V A 1{ K . 



191 



keeps ou in ;i lino as direct as may lie, lirst sweeping ,L;;t'iilly into a 
point where it crosses the lirst irallic-road. in eonimoii with the 
liorse-path and two foot-patlis, so that the traitic-road is not seen 
at alh and the four roads are hid ironi eac^h other by shrubbery. 
From this point the road trends slightly outward, crossing the 
horse-path once, and, a Httle larther on, the foot-path, l)y l)ridges, 
and so(~)n reaches the Merchants" (rate, at the southwestern angle 
of the Park, Fifty-ninth Street and Eightli Avenue. 







i^ 



nUSTII' BRIIIGK, NKAi: IIAMOXT BRIPflE, I.OOKrNf} WEST. 

The turn to the left, at the point we just started from, is a 
more interesting way of leaving the Park. It strilces at once for 
the middle of tlie Park, I'uns along nearly parallel to the Mall, 
though not in a straight line, and at its southern end gives the 
visitor the clioice of passing in to tlie Bast Drive, and so out by 
the Fifth Avenue : or, by keeping due south, and then turning 
west, to reach the Eighth Avenue gate. 



In the very beginninor of the seventeenth centurv. Lord Bacon 



11)2 



DKSCK r PTIO-X OF T II K 



wrote ill his Advaiiceuieut of Learning: — '"Iii preixiration of medi- 
cines, I do lind sti'ange, especially considering how minei'al medi- 
cines have been extolled, and that they are safei" for the outward 
than inward paits, that no man hath sought to make an imitation 
by art of natural baths and medicinalde iduntaius :"' and he counts 
such methods of cure among the things in whicli our knowledge 







III'STK' UnlDGE, NEAR EALrOXT URIUGE, I.OOKINC, 



is defic.ient. J^ut the reader of these pages does not need to be 
told that this want has long been sujiplied, and that he may drink 
in his own house, or at more than one counter, to-day, a perfect 
imitation of any one of the notable mineral springs either of this 
country or of Euro})e. A iii'm in our city haye obtained per- 
mission from the Board to erect in the Park a buildins; ior the 



N E W YORK C E N T R A L P A R K . 



m 



sale of tliese iniiu'ml waters, and we shall liiid it nearly com- 
pleted on the load we iii'e now I'ollowing, west of the Terraec 
and on a rising ground. The huildiug is to he a very elegant 
one; it was designed by the Messrs. Vaux and Withers, and will 
cost $30,000. 

As we pass the Mall, especially if it ha])p(Mi to he on a nnisic- 
dav, the contrast between tlie views on either side is quite striking. 




"TjCs^/ 



i«Ri<(M-4.V 



OAK BRIDGE. 



On our left hand, if we are leaving the Park, the long walk, with 
its crowds of gavly-dressed people clustered thick as bees about 
the o'raceful flower-like music stand, makes a bright and cheerful 
picture, suggestive of the city ami of eitv lile: while on the i-iglit 
is the broad, lawn-like ex|)anse of the green, with its llock of one 



104 



DESCRIPTION OF T li K 



hundred and sixtv-three Sonthdown sheep, with their keeper, pre- 
senting an appearance of pastoral simplicity as he wanders, crook 




in hand, after his 

nibbling charge, and 

carrying the mind far 

enough away from 

the siglits and sounds 

of the environing 

citv. If we are of a too practical turn to let this pretty scene 

lead us in imasination to those 



l>AK nniPGE, SECOND VIEW. 



"Russet lawns and fallows srey, 
Where the iiihhliug flocks do stray, 

t: ^ ^ ♦ ^ 

Meadows trim, with daisies pi<'d. 
Shallow lirooks and rivers wide," 



tliat are to l)e found in the true countiy, we may please ourselves 
with the prudent reflection that these sheep make most excellent 



NEW YORK CENTRAL PARK. 



19o 



luutton, uiid j)r()(luce the lu'st ol' wool, so tliat tlirir utility lairl)- 
balances their good looks; lu^side which, they keep the lawn in the 
best condition by constant cropping and manuring. 




TIIK SllEPIlEED. 



As we cross the traffic-road, we come in sight of the Play- 
Ground, an open tract of ten acres, exclusively devoted to boys' 
games. The Controller and Treasurer of the Park, Mr, ^Vndi'cw 



19B DESCRIPTION OF THE 

11. Green, to whose watclilul eve and constant supervision we are 
indebted, and not less to his ingenious suggestions, for much that 
makes tlie Park attractive to the masses of the people, has always 
stronglv svmpathized with Messrs. Vaux and Olmsted in their de- 
sire to make the Park a ])lace of ])o|)ular education as well as one 
of mere enjovment. At the same time, it has been evident that, 
considering tlie limits of the Park, and the great variety of tastes 
to be consulted, it cannot be conceded that the lawns and open 
spaces oi" the city's only pleasure-ground shall be open at all times 
freelv to those who wish to use them for athletic s-ames. Nothing 




PLAY-GROUND. 



is more easily injured than fine turf — nothing harder to keep in 
repaii'. And tlnu'c^ are manv wlio do not see why ii should be 
used and treated so carefully. They do not agree with Bacon, 
who says: — "Nothing is moi-e Pleasant to tlie Eye than Greene 
Grasse kept tinely sliorne," but think it is intended solely to 
walk or romj) upon. To permit any numl)er of people, whetber 
it were the majority or the minority, to deal with the chief orna- 
ment of a ])leasure-ground, in which both the majority and the 
minority have equal rights, is plainly impossible, and lunv to 
manage the matter without injury to the Park, and yet with due 
concession to tin- popular feelino', has been a difficult problem. 



X i<: w Y II K r<: \ t r a l p a \i k . 197 

But, at last, it has Ixhmi settled this \v;iy : ( )ii eertaiu (lavs, music 
da^'s or general holidays, the ])ul)lic is allowed I'rec use ol' par- 
tienlar pieces of grass or lawn Jdr walking, and tor the little 
children to play u])on. It may he said hen; that the damage 
done to the grass on all sneh (X'casions always takes several 
days to repair! Ix^side this pai'tieidai- pei-mission, the ten-acre 
tract, along which we are just now dri\'ing, has been set a})art 
as a l)oys' })lay-ground, and it is used three days in each week 
by such boys attending the public or the larg(>r private schools 
as are thought l)y their teachers to have earned the })rivilege by 
good conduct. This is a reward of merit that tlie boys appreciate, 
and it has thus far proved a great incentive to study and to good 
conduct. Thousands of our schoolboys have used the Play-Ground 
on these terms since Mr. Green Hrst established the system. Nor 
are the girls to be foi'gotten. They are to have a play -ground of 
their own south of the Children's Gate, near the Fifth Avenue and 
Seventy-second Street, and a ])retty house has been erected lor 
their accommodation, wdiere they mav make simple changes in 
their dress, lay aside hats and cloaks, overshoes and umbrellas, 
and where they may hnd croquet balls, rings, and mallets, hoops, 
skip])ing-ropes, and even bats and balls, if they have got as far. 
The increased demands upon the area of the Play Gi-ound by 
the boys of the public schools, have made It necessary to have a 
building ibr their accommodation also, at a point near then- place 
of ])lay. The foundations of an extremely simple, but v(My j)retty, 
house of brick and stone have been laid at the north end of tlu^ 
Plav-Ground, to serve as a place of deposit and distribution of the 
bats and balls and other ])arapherualia of the game of base-l)all, 
and also for toilet arrangements. The ca})acity of the Play- 
Ground is oiten found insufficient to acconnnodate all wlio come 
to play. When the bases, into wliicli the gnnmd is di\'ided, ai'c 
tilled, as is often the case, arrangements are made f)r the n^sl on 
the UfMahborinii; (rreen. The (\)mmissionei-s of the I'ark are thus 



198 



DESCRIPTION OF THE 



developing, year after vear, their intention to make the Park useful 
to the children of the city, and an aid in its l^eneficent system of 
common-school education. The whole Park is looked upon by 
thein as an a<ljanct to that system — a necessary and logical part 
of it. 

The mention of the Children's Gate reminds us that we haye 
made no allusion as yet to the names that have been given to the 
Park entrances hv the Commissioners, and which it is intended, at 
some future day. to associate, by some simple but expressive sym- 
bolism, with tlie gate- ways that will be erected at these points. 




VIEW NEAK cots' GATE, LOOKISG WEST. 



The naming of the gates early received the attention of the 
Commission, and, m the Fiftli Annual Report (1862), there was 
l)ublished a lengthy ''Report on tlie Nomenclature of the Gates 
of the Park,' the suggestions in which were adopted i^y the Com- 
missioners, and have since been carried out witli scarcely any 
modiJications. 

There can hardly l)e any doubt, we should think, as to the 
desirableness of having names given to the several gate-ways by 
authority, and that, too, as early as possible, so as to prevent 
what, for lack of a l)etter term, we may call nick-names beins- 
fastene<l upon tlie entrances by the ]:)u])lic, as has often happened 



X K ^\' YORK (' K X '1' 1{ A L PAR K . 1 99 

in the older countries. Reside, lliei'e is ;i eeftain uiiitv of tlion<.'-lit 
and design in the Park itself, ami it seems ht1ni,u- enouu'h that 
the niuiiinii; of the entrances shoidd l;-i-o\v out ol' that theoi-y 
whieh the Connuissioners ha\-e heen aimiiiL;- to cai'i'v out in the 
arrany^x'Uieiit and regulation of tin- Park i'\-er since the work 
was fairly hegun. The Centi'al J^irk is the jtleasu re-ground 
of the chief eilv in a great re])ul)lic. It has not been set a[)art 
bv any [)i-i\ilege(l class for its own use and entcrtainnient, hut 
is th(_' ci'eation of the whole people of the Citv ol' Xew Yoi'k Idr 
their own caijoyrnent, and, with a large hos})italitv, they invite 
the rest of the world to share it I'recdy witli them on e(pial terms. 
In naming the gates, therel()re, that arc to give entrance t(_) the 
grounds thus set ai)art from trade and traffic and mere material 
u.se. for i)urposes of elevated pleasure and education m higher 
things, it has been tlnMight iittest to select such names as will 
make every working member of tlie communit}', whether ho 
work with liis head or his hands, feel his personal ownership 
in the Park. To carry out this idea, which is not the less gen- 
erous lor l)eing strictly true, has not been eas\'. nor, perliaps, 
liave the Commissioners wholh* succeeded. l>ut their selection 
of names leaves little to be desired, and is to b(> commended 
as both sensil)le and appropriate. Every one of them admits 
of interesting sculpture and striking symbolism nj)on the gate- 
way that will l)e built i'or it m the future: nor is it bv any 
means imi)ossible that the several trades, professions, and classes 
of men represented by these names mav be moved themselves 
to erect, or, at any rate, to ornameiit, the gate-wavs that belong 
to them with the statues of their famous members, or with svm- 
bolic decorations of such elegance or rieliness as thev can afford. 
Tlu^ original report sup))lie(l names Ibr tweiit\' gates." and 

* These were as follows;— The Arti-sau. Tlio Artist, The Merchant, The Scholar, 
Tlie Cultivator, The Warrior, The Mariner. Tlio Engineer. The Hunter, The Fisher- 
man, Tlie WdoJmau, Tlie Miner. The Explorer. The Inventor. The Foreigner. The 



200 D K S f " R I r T I X ( > F T H i<: 

it is more than likely tliat iii time this number of entrances 
will be needed, bvit at present there are not so many. Although 
the report was printe(l. as we have said, in ls()'2, and ordered 
to be accepted in the same year, it was not until 1865 that its 
suggestions would seem t() luu'c been formally adopted by the 
Commissioners. The convenient "Park Guide" with tlie accom- 
panying " Reference," which now ap})ears regularly in the annual 
reports, was first contained in that for 1S(>4; in it the names of 
the gates are printed in the " Reference," but are not engraved 
upon the map itself In this list of 1864 there were only six- 
teen names of gates given, instead of the twenty originally pro- 
loosed. The Fisherman, The Inventor, and The Explorer are 
onntted, and the Eny^ineer and Miner are both included in one. 
We observe, too, that the name " Stranger " has been adopted 
in ])reference to Foreigner, where the report suggests either, and 
that "Farmer" has been })referred to "Cultivator," probably as 
being more iamiliar. In the next report, tliat lor 18^5, we iind 
the arrangement adopted which has since continued in force. 
There are now eighteen gates instead of sixteen ; the names of 
the Fisherman and the Inventor are still omitted, the Engineers' 
and the Miners' gates are again separated as was at first pro- 
posed, and the Explorer of the original report is restored, 
under the name of The Pioneer, a change for the better, since, 
while it does honor to all sncli men as Columbvis and Hudson, 
it also includes the pioneer oi' our western country, and the 
brave fellows who have scaled the Rocky Mountains and laid 
the foundations of a new empire lor us on the Pacitic shore. 

Of course, if it is Ibund desirable or necessary, new gates 
can l)e added at any time, and in case the number should be 
increased to the original twenty, the names " Fisherman " and 
"Inventor" well deserve to be given to the new ones. The 

Boys, The Girls, The Women, Tlie Ohildreu, -dwl All Saints.— Report for 1862, 
p;i;ae Kl-"). 



N K W Y ( ) i; K (' !•; X T it A I, I> A li K . 2l »! 

Fislienneii, no less tlinii the IIiiiittM's, ;irc a i-aci* apart, ami the 
cral't has j)hiye(l a more ('ous|»icii()iis part in the historv of our 
relations with Ibrci^z'n powei's. We lia\'e bi'eii readv to go to 
war two or three times loi- their rights, and arc quite ready to 
go to war tor them whene\-er it shall l)e necessary. Socially, 
too, they are a wry important class, as nian\- Aillages. and eyen 
large towns are almost entireh' made m[) of lisiuM-men's (iimilies, 
and, what is more, their eralt is not nua-eh' a temporai'\' jtur- 
suit, disappearing before ciydization like that ol' the huntei-. l)iit 
a steady business, as well recognized as that oC the farmer, and 
while quite as ancient as his, likely to last as long. So, by all 
means, let us haye a gate for the Fisherman: it will be easy to 
decorate it. 

The Inyentor, too, ought to be honored, es})ecially lu-re in 
America, where he has played such a notable })art. What with 
statues of Franklui, Fulton, Morse, ILjc, Whitney, Howe, and 
Morton, the gate would be a trophy more splendid than eould 
Ije raised by any other country to her own citizens as l)ene- 
factors of the whole world. 

As we leaye tlic Park by whiche\er road, we catch glinn)ses 
of pretty, rural scenery between the clustering trees. We look 
across the broad Flay -Ground with its delightful swee})s of yer- 
dant lawn unbroken by the smallest shrub or tree, to where, on 
the opposite side there rises aboye the thick enclosing wall of 
foliage, the rocky knoll Irom which the s})ectat(jr can watch a 
dozen games of base-ball at once, it he haye C;osar's pc^wer of 
diyided concentration. ^Vnd what a, scene it is on this sun- 
bright 0(;tober day, with its merry, noisy, hubbub crowd of 
young barbarians all at [)lav. and the gay girdle ol their smil- 
ing friends and sist(M-s looking on at this essentially American 
tournament! Is there a j»lcasanter sight on (\ulh than to see 
a gathering ol l)oys like this, eycry one ol' whom has earned 
his rioht to his arternoon's s|)oi-t b\- goocl condnet and diligence 



202 DESCKIPTION" OF THE 

ill school, neither letting his full obedience to duty and his 
thorough periijrnuujce of his task (juell his aninial spirits, nor 
his inborn love of })lay get the mastery over his ambition. Sncli 
a sight as this makes the heart hopeful, it is one of the bright 
sides of our American life, which has its dark sides, as we all 
know, but even a })oet like Gray might have looked on this 
bright spectacle without tlie gloomy foreboding that saddens 
his famous Ode. 

The new house that has just been hnished f )r the accommo- 
dation of the little children, near their Play-Ground, is not so 
ornamental a structure as the Boys' Plouse, but it is an exceed- 
ingly cozv, comfortable nest, and tempts one to inrpiire within 
for permanent lodgings. Here the little ones, with their imrses 
or sisters, can take shelter from a sutlden shower, or ])rocnre 
some light refreshment suited to their tender years. Near this 
pretty cottage, too, the Aldernev cows are to be tethered, as in 
some of the Ibrcign parks, and will sup|:)ly an abundance of 
milk, whose origin wdll l)e aljove suspicion, as its excellence 
IS pretty sure to be above compai'C. \Yhether city people will 
like it is another matter: of course those who have been bronght 
u}) ou milkmaifs milk will not recognize the taste of nature's 
product, and may pronounce it msipid, but if fashion should 
onee take a liking to it, woe to the luckless milkmen! Their 
occupation would be gone. 

In spite of tlie near neighborhood of the citv, wdiicli cannot 
be com])letely shut out by any thing but a ^■ery loftv growth 
of trees, we are sometimes surprised, even in this southernmost 
})ortion of the l*ark, b\' a view like that which one gets by 
keeping on in a direction east of the Children's Shelter and 
l(X)king down upon tlie Pond. We have already given several 
\-iews of tliis pretty v\'ater, but they are all very different Irom 
this, Aviiich, except at one point, and tliat not impossif-'Ie to be 
])lanted out in time, has a quiet beauty that strikes one the 



N ]<: W Y (I 1{ K C I-: N T li A L I' A 1{ K . 



203 



more ])leasaiitly iVoni the siirjirisc ol' liiuliii^ii' it so neai" the must 
noisy entrance of the J'ark. And near the gate-way at the 
Seventh Avenue, il' we are on horseback, we |)ass under the 
graceful iron ai-ch-way. wh.ose lines ai-e almost hid l)y the thick 
veil of American Ivy that runs rani|)ant o\er it. The walk it 




^'^W'^. 



w 




VIEW NEAR THE POND— HKTVNI.NTll STliKET 



carries runs along the side of the Play-Ground, and leads us 
directly to the Mall through the Marble Arch, 



We sometimes li(\'ir (hspai-aging remarks aimed at the Cen- 
tral Park because it is inferior in size to a few of the great parks 
of the world. But, for ourselves, oui- pride in it lias never been 



204 L) I-: 8 (J H I 1' T 1 U X U 1^' THE 

ill its size, nor, indeed, in any thing that lias as yet been put in 
it by way of ornament. We are |:)roud of it beeause it is the 
first undertaking of tlie kind in our own country, and because 
its entire management, from the tirst day until now, lias been 
such as to recommend enterprises of this nature to the wdiole 
country. In no other city in the world is there a park better 
cared ibr or managed with greater skill and efficiency than our 
own. When we are brought to shame by the vile and dishonest 
goyernment of the City of New York, and reju'oached witli tlint 
dishonor as if it were an argument against Republicanism, we 
point to the perfect order and cpiiet of the Central Park as a 
proof that we liave the remedy in our hands when we choose 
to ap|)ly it. 

Little now remains to say, but as we near the Artists' Gate we 
see troops upon troops of merry children with their nurses, com- 
ing in frc^nn tlie cars, laughing, chatting, crowing, all on their way 
to the Children's Shelter and the Children's Play-Ground. This 
is a new institution in the Park, and it ought to be called the 
Mothers' Blessing, for surely it is a pleasant spot to fly to out 
of the dust and heat of the city. Here under this ample shelter 
with its fragrance of cedar and cool withdrawal from the sun, 
the little ones may play all day without the possibility of dan- 
ger, or may, even, sleep, with mother or nurse to watch tliem, 
on these ample benches. Here are a multitude of rustic tables 
of various sizes for smaller or larger parties, where the simple 
luncheon may be eaten, and in time sleek-coated cows upon the 
lawn will give the jnirest, sweetest milk to this bevy of little 
ones. It was a haj^py thought to provide so generously and 
beautifully for the yonngest children, and wlio can tell what 
a difference it may make in the health and beauty of the com- 
ing generations, the having such a ]:)lace and opportunities for 
play and exercise. The frequent contact with grass and flowers 
and trees, the mere seeing of the sky, is something bracing and 



X K W Y II H K (' E X T K A L I' A !! K 



2 05 



lic;iltli-i!'i\-iiiLr'. and tlif Vnvk iiii^tilit well lia\f Ix'cii made tor this 
alone. 

And so we leave tlie Park with niingU'd feelings of pride 
and thankfulness, ])roniising ourselves many pleasant days in 



r^S^gr »jP=ijg^^i:'liT^ 







^m^w^^i^^m 



:/er 







its cheerful sun- 
light, becoming 
better and better 
acquainted with 
all that is V)eau- 
tiful in it, and 
learning better 

and better to CIIILDIIKN's SMKI.TKH, SIH-THWEST nh- MAI.T., FUCiJI UIWKU LAKE LOOKING KAST. 

profit l)y ail the wise care and ti'ained thought that have made 
it what It is. But we who aiv in middle life can never know 
all its beauty. That is reserved for those f()r whom we have 
planted these shrnl^s and trees, and s])read these level lawns. 



206 



T H K X ]<: W Y i: K ( ' !•; X T R A L P A R K . 



These trees will aivli over main' Liapp\" generations, ami tliousantls 
\\\\o ai'e not yet Lorn, will en)o\' the sweet green of the grass; the 
wood llowers will have learned to bloom amid the hum of the city 
as regularly and as profusely as in their wilding native plaees, 
when those who made this great hequest shall have long passed 
on to other scenes. But, if it l)e ],)leasant to man to know that 




THE OVAL BRIIIGE XEAB SEVEXTH AVENUE. 



he will not he wholly forgotten, let those who conceived the 
idea of this pleasure-ground, tlnxse who designed its beauties, 
and those whose |)ublie spirit and nntired zeal have brought it 
to jKn'l'ection, l)e sure that their memory will not pass away, but 
will renew itself year by year with the waving trees and blos- 
soming fl(jwers. 

'' Corti, Keep tljcir uiciuorjj circml^' 



¥" 






